Human Dominoes
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I. Introduction
I. Introduction
The book of Romans would be much easier to read and understand if Paul didn't have to pack so much into one letter. It's like student preachers who go out to different churches to preach on a Sunday. They find it difficult to realize that they do not have to dump the whole theological load on a congregation in one sermon. I remember a student minister coming back to seminary and telling us about all the accolades he had received after his sermon. At the end of his boasting he shared with us what he thought was the crowning comment of his admirers. He said, "I had an older gentleman come up to me and say that he had been a Christian for 70 years, and this one sermon that he just heard preached was the shortest 20 part series of sermons he had ever heard."
This is what Paul has done. Paul has crammed in his systematic statement of the gospel, his position on the relationship between the Gentiles and the Jews and his emphasis on faith apart from the works of the law. Each phrase progresses his argument and needs to be understood as we move ahead. It's like when I lived here and was visiting farms. Usually, if I wanted to talk with one of the farmers I had to go into the barn. So I carried rubber boots with me. One day when I was visiting I walked into the barn, and looked down the full length of it to the door at the opposite end. Outside about twenty feet from the doorway the farmer was standing at a pile of manure. I began to walk towards him, down the full length of the barn and right out into the yard where the manure pile was. Now there is a very important piece of information you need to know at this point. It had rained a lot the last few days. I mean a lot. So there I was walking out into the yard when I suddenly realized two things were going to happen if I took one more step. First, my boots were not going to come with me. They had sunk six inches into the soft manure. Second if I took that step, I was going to get a real close look at the pool of manure that stretched from the barn to manure pile. I should have looked carefully at where I was going, each step of the way.
, down the full length of the barn and right out into the yard where the manure pile was. Now there is a very important piece of information you need to know at this point. It had rained a lot the last few days. I mean a lot. So there I was was walking out into the yard when I suddenly realized two things were going to happen if I took one more step. First, my boots were not going to come with me. They had sunk six inches into the soft manure. Second if I took that step, I was going to get a real close look at the pool of manure that stretched from the barn to manure pile. I should have looked carefully at where I was going, each step of the way.
That is what we need to do with this letter of Paul's. Look at it carefully each step of the way.
The book of Romans starts off in the first three chapters explaining in great detail that we have all fallen short of what God had in mind for us - everybody. We can't even use the excuse that we are as good as everyone else, because Paul is clear in saying that everyone doesn't live the way God created them to live - you, me, our relatives, neighbours, friends - no one.
Then in Chapters three to five Paul tells us that Jesus and Jesus alone is the one who can make things right again. And now we find ourselves at the point where Paul is summing all this up. He says, "Therefore". On account of all this the following is true.
(SLIDE) Read
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:12-21
Point 1: What one person does effects more people than we know.
Use the Puzzle illustration about us being part of each other.
(SLIDE) You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in? First sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, ()
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses.
(The Message)
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses.
To understand this we need to take a step back and make sure we know what sin is.
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses.
(The Message)
To understand this we need to take a step back and make sure we know what sin is.
We need to differentiate between acts of sin and Sin.
Acts of sin are things we do that contribute to Sin.
Sin has to do with broken relationships. Missing the mark in the way God wants us to relate.
In the Bethel Bible series there are two pictures that help us out here.
(add slide)
(SLIDE - Harmony) This picture shows the harmony of relationships. I am not going into all the symbolism of the picture, but it points out to us that God intended that we be in harmony with Him, ourselves, each other and creation.
(add slide)
(SLIDE - Disharmony) The second picture shows the results of Adam's disobedience - Disharmony with God, ourselves, each other, and creation.
We see this on a daily basis. We think we know better than God, addictions are multiplying (there is Internet addiction disorder and a number of health professionals estimate that 6-10% of internet uses are addicted). We have raped creation of its beauty and plundered it natural resources. And war in families and between nations abound.
I tried to think of an illustration that would help us to understand what Paul was saying about the way Adam’s sin brought everything into this disharmony. The illustration that came to mind was falling dominoes. I am going to show you a video clip, but it has both a sense of humor to it, but the more I looked at it I realized that it depicted the ugly effects of not only what Adam's act of sin did, but what ours does also. Truly, what one person does effects more people than we know.
I tried to think of an illustration that would help us to understand what Paul was saying about the way Adam’s sin brought everything into this disharmony. The illustration that came to mind was falling dominoes. I am going to show you a video clip, but it has both a sense of humor to it, but the more I looked at it I realized that it depicted the ugly effects of not only what Adam's act of sin did, but what ours does also. Truly, what one person does effects more people than we know.
A. Illustration
(SLIDE) Human Domino Film clip (see arthiley@gmail.com Google drive)
(SLIDE) Point 1 What one person does effects more people than we know. Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap
Point 1 What one person does effects more people than we know.Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap
Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap
Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap
(SLIDE) If one man?s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God?s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! (The Message)
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
(The Message)
(The Message)
Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do!
Romans 5:15
(SLIDE)If we were to sum up what Paul wanted to say in this passage we would say, "By Adam not living up to God’s way everybody became people who lived their own way and were alienated from (SLIDE) God; by Jesus demonstrating how to live life God’s way all people became aware of God’s way of living and are restored to a right relationship with God."
A. Illustration
Perhaps the easiest way to understand what Jesus did is to think of what has been happening in the middle east.
Devastation beyond our comprehension has happened in Syria. The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin have tag-teamed to wipe out al-Assad’s rebel opposition. Millions of Syrian citizens have been displaced. 5 million escaped from Syria. Thousands of those refugees fled to a different country and have applied for refugee sponsorship and have been sponsored and brought to Canada.
They moved from a place were death was certain if they stayed, to a place of safety and then to a life back here that could be called luxury.
They moved from a place were death was certain if they stayed, to a place of safety and then to a life back here that could be called luxurious.
That is what Jesus has done for everyone who will accept him by faith and enter back into relationship with God through him. He has taken us from certain death, brought us to safety and then offered us life the way it is supposed to be lived.
(SLIDE) Friends, this is our message. This is what we need to be demonstrating through our day to day living and talking with people. I like telling people, “there is more to life than you have imagined. What to experience it? Let me tell you how!
(SLIDE) Point 1 What one person does effects more people than we know. Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap. Point 3 The Law makes us aware of our sin.
Point 2 Jesus Bridges the Gap
Point 3 The Law makes us aware of our sin.
(SLIDE)
(SLIDE)
( New Century Version).
The law came to make sin worse. But when sin grew worse, God’s grace increased. Sin once used death to rule us, but God gave people more of his grace so that grace could rule by making people right with him. And this brings life forever through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The purpose of Law as outlined in the Old Testament is to make us aware of just how far we miss the mark, fall short of the kind of life that God wants for us.
The purpose of Law as outlined in the Old Testament is to make us aware of just how far we miss the mark, fall short of the kind of life that God wants for us.
Paul has said to us that with or without the law we are not in harmony. The laws or commands make us aware of that. And when we are not in harmony as hard as we might try we cannot live the way God created us to live. It's impossible. If you try you will fail, become discouraged and probably end up in an even worse state than when you began.
Paul is saying that it is by the power of God's Spirit - through his grace, that we grow deeper and deeper in our relationship with God we become more like God wanted from the beginning.
V. Summary
First, accept the truth that without Jesus you are in broken relationships...
- with God
- with ourselves
- with others
- with creation.
(SLIDE) Second, accept that you can't fix those relationships by sheer determination. You will always fail, miss the mark, fall short.
(SLIDE) Third, it is when you open yourself up to Jesus and begin to intentionally grow in your relationship with him that you will gain the power to live your life the way God intended you to live your life.
The key to the Christian life is not obedience to the Law, but growing in your love relationship with God. As you grow in your relationship with God you will naturally begin to obey the law.
VI. Conclusion/Application
So what does this mean to us on a cold winter Sunday morning as we gather here?
Simply this,
start to put yourself in a place where God and you can grow closer together.
Start to put yourself in a place where the Holy Spirit can begin to move in you and cleanse you, and renew you.
Start to put yourself in a place where you can begin to recognize the voice of God in your day to day living.
(SLIDE) The desert fathers knew how to do this. The great saints of the past knew how to do it. People like Theresa of Avila, Calvin, Wesley, Billy Graham and Mother Teresa.
If you want to get a good insight into putting yourself into the presence of God, you need to get the small paperback book written by a monk named Brother Lawrence. It called The Practice the Presence of God. In this book you will learn simple ways to be in God’s presence always.
One thing that we need to remember though is that this practicing the presence of God must be intentional. We need to work to make it a natural part of what we do and how we live. Just like developing a new skill we need to practice to make those skills natural, something we do without thinking, so it is with growing in our relationship with God. God has given us some tools to do that and they are called the Spiritual Disciplines.
(SLIDE) You need to pick one and begin to practice it and then another until they become natural for you. John Ortberg has written a good book called The Life You’ve always wanted – Spiritual Disciplines for ordinary people. Or go to the website – www.renovare.org This would be a good book to start with.
You see as we do this we then don’t have to worry about the Law and Sin. As we walk in the presence of God we will begin to naturally obey the Law and we will naturally begin to choose to live in harmony with God ourselves, others and creation. For as we do this God will flood us with his grace and grow within our being what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. And we will develop a richer love relationship with him. It is within this kind of relationship that we enter into what is called the kingdom of the heavens. Eternal life begins here, begins now as you fall deeper and deeper in love with our Saviour. Or as Paul puts it in the last verse of our selection today
(SLIDE) God gave people more of his grace so that grace could rule by making people right with him. And this brings life forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. ()