The Last Man: Jesus the Provider

The Last Man- Jesus is the last man to have a nature without fault. His life teaches us how to live, how to act and how to be in relationship. 1 Cor 15:45

The Bible calls Jesus both the "last Adam" and the "second Man." Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:45–48 NIV

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

Adam Was The First Man

These two names of Jesus compare Him with Adam. Adam was the first man who was created. In Gen 2:7 The Bible says that God made Adam out of the dust of the earth.

Adam had one nature - that of a human. He had the possibility of disobedience and did disobey God. After the sin of Adam and Eve animal sacrifices were brought to God. Yet the blood of animals could not take away the sin of Adam and the human race. God had to have perfect human nature sacrificed in place of sinful human nature.

Jesus The Last Adam

The Lord Jesus is the last Adam and the Second Man.

Jesus is the last man to be without a sin nature.

His nature was both human and divine.

He was the second man - the man from heaven.

As the God-man He could be the suitable sacrifice for the sins of the world.

The Bible says that Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for sin.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Adam, the first human, was created perfect from the dust of the ground.

But Adam disobeyed and brought sin into the world. He made the same choice that all of us have made to sin and to choose wrong.

Jesus is the "last Adam" in the sense that He was the last man who did not have a sin nature.

Although He was like Adam in that He did not have a sin nature He was different from Adam in that Jesus was from heaven. Consequently Jesus was able to be the sinless sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Jesus teaches us how to give, and not just for a moment or even a lifetime. He teaches us to give things that go beyond one lifetime. We have to be a people that give wisdom, noble tradition and the knowledge of how to seek and find God. Jesus did not live for personal gain, and though he achieved acclaim and victory it was through the resolution to give everything away. Our own legacy has to be a reflection of the same conviction to give everything we have.

But as disciples of Jesus, we can’t give something we don’t have. We have to be connected to Jesus and live our lives out of the connection we have to God, the life giver!

Aren’t there times though when we think through our actions and through our efforts we can “make it Happen”

We know we need to be connected to God, that he is the great provider, but often times we still try to do it, whatever it is on our own. Without God, with connecting to him and truly relying on him.

In John 15 Jesus says to all of us.

John 15:5 NIV

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Throughout the Bible, God referred to His people as being His vineyard. Isaiah 5:7 says “The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight...” and in Isaiah 27:2-3 God declared “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no-one may harm it.”

When Jesus wanted to tell us about the fact that salvation not based on works, He told a parable that started this way “… the kingdom of heaven (the church) is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” Matthew 20:1

Those who belong to Jesus (saved) are the vineyard.

We’re the BRANCHES and Jesus is the VINE.

One commentator I read noted that the Jews of Jesus day were looking for the Messiah. And one of the terms used of Him was that He’d be THE VINE. (John Gill) So, Jesus used imagery people would understand. When He declared He was the vine, He was saying He was the Messiah - and that those who belonged to Him were the branches.

John 15:5 Jesus tells us he is the vine and apart from Jesus you and I can do nothing.

1 Cor 15 says it a little differently

1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Notice: your labor IN THE LORD is not in vain. It’s not that you can’t do stuff. It’s not that you can’t do labor. It’s just that without Jesus IT’S ALL IN VAIN.

It’s kind of like the parable Jesus told about the two men who built houses. One man built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:25 tells us “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

The man who built that house ROCK did NOT build in vain.

But then, there was a 2nd man – the man who built his house on the SAND. “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:27

The man who built on the SAND… BUILT IN VAIN.

And Jesus said: “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”

What the foolish man built was in vain because without Jesus you can’t do anything that’s gonna last. Folks in this world often put high priorities on things they think are important.

They’d like to marry the girl or boy of their dreams; they’d like to be important or powerful; they’d like to be rich; they’d like to be seen as “good people” who do “good things.” And they want to live a long FRUITFUL life.

Almost everyone wants to bear good fruit that’s gonna last. And, there’s nothing wrong with any of those priorities.

It’s just that without Jesus providing… it’s all in vain. IT’S NOT GOING TO LAST!!!

But why is all about Jesus? Why can’t I have a fruitful life without Him? Well, it’s all summed up at the communion table. At the Last Supper, Jesus

Matthew 26:27–29 NIV

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus died on the cross to provide for us and to pay the price for our sins. He shed HIS BLOOD to cover our guilt and shame. And the juice (this fruit of the vine) represents THAT blood. The point is this - without His fruit/ without His blood being shed for us, we don’t have eternal life. And, if we don’t have eternal life - when we die - everything we’ve ever done dies with us! We will have literally lived a FRUIT-LESS life.

But in order to have a FRUIT-FUL life Jesus says I MUST bear fruit that will last. What kind of fruit does Jesus have in mind? Jesus said: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples…. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15:8-10

Then Jesus said “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13

ILLUS: Some time back… someone did a survey and found that 40% of Americans said they believed in love at first sight. What they were saying was - they believed love was an EMOTION. But the kind of Love Jesus speaks of goes wayyyy beyond emotion. His kind of love is an ACTION! He talks about laying down our lives for each other.

Thomas a’ Kempis read several Scriptures like this and he put it this way “Whoever loves much, DOES much.”

ILLUS: Now… we are in quarantine. We’re locked down and have to do this “social distancing” thing. In that kind of setting, what could we possibly do to show love to each other? Well… do you have a phone (I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and held it up)? CALL SOMEONE! Do you have paper and stamps? WRITE SOMEONE! Turn off the TV and the Computer long enough to communicate. Call people outside of the church and pray for them. Show Christ’s love by doing something!