Rom 5-Greater Grace

| Greater Grace! Romans 5:12-21

July 9, 2006(NLT) 12When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. And though there was no law to break, since it had not yet been given, 14they all died anyway—even though they did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. What a contrast between Adam and Christ, who was yet to come! 15And what a difference between our sin and God’s generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s bountiful gift. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.18Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness makes all people right in God’s sight and gives them life. 19Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God’s sight.20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. 21So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.PRAY Memory Verse: (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:17 Intro:Last week:How Adam, & what he did, is like Christ & what He did.Adam… was a type of the one who was to come. (v. 14 ESV) – a pattern (NIV)This week:How Adam and what he did are very different from Christ and what He did.The free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. (v. 16 ESV)And what a difference between our sin and God’s generous gift of forgiveness. (NLT)The superlative: MUCH MORE…If…, then MUCH MORE…! 
1. The Power of God vs. the sin of man2. The Price of Grace vs. the Cost of Sin3. The Miracle of Grace vs. the Justice of Death4. The Results of Grace vs. the Results of Sin 1. The Power of God vs. the Sin of Man (v. 15)We cannot begin to appreciate grace until we begin to make a clear distinction between the Creator and the creature, between God and man, between Adam, as one of us, and Jesus, as the God-Man.If one man’s sin brought death to many, then MUCH MORE does Jesus Christ’s obedience bring the free gift of God’s grace.Verse 15 (ESV) If many died through one man’s trespass.Much more the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ☞    Grace is as much greater than sin as Jesus is than us.If the result of one man’s sin was the death of “many,” MUCH MORE the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the OTHER man, Jesus Christ, “abounded for many.”If the death that follows sin is a just result of Adam’s rejection of God’s prerogative to define right and wrong, and flows from the choice of a mere man,Then far more does God’s grace, which flows from God’s love and mercy, abound to many.Just as we can understand, from personal experience, the reality of death resulting from our sin, so also, we need to understand that what the Son of God can, and does, accomplish FAR surpasses what any mere man can do. In other words, we should be able to understand how death results from sin, because we have all experience this at some level. But if the actions of a mere man can do THAT, then think what the actions of the Son of God can accomplish!If Adam, being a mere man, could cause death to reign, HOW MUCH MORE can Christ, being the Son of God, cause righteousness to reign in life! ☞    Man’s sin vs. Jesus’ obedienceIf the sin of a mere man could cause such enormous impact, think what the obedience of the Son of Man accomplishes!God’s grace flows out of God’s choice. Judgment flows from our choice. Comparing the gift of God’s grace to the fruit of man’s sin is like comparing God to a mere man. Mere men let us down. They sin. They err. They, like us, are sinners. God, on the other hand, does not sin. He does not err. His only limitation is that He cannot contradict Himself. He cannot sin. Hence His grace is FAR different from our sin. The cause and effect of sin to death is easy for us to understand. The cause and effect of grace to righteousness and life is hard to understand. It is something we must embrace by faith. It is something we will understand only as we grow in our understanding of God as He has revealed Himself in the pages of Scripture.Point #1: Grace is supernatural. It flows from God. In order for us to embrace and to live by it, we must commit ourselves to grow in our love, knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2. The Miracle of Grace vs. the Justice of DeathOne sin led to judgment and condemnation, but the free gift followed many sins and brought justificationVerse 16 – cont’d (ESV) For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. (ESV)☞    The judgment is natural.The gift is supernatural.☞    The judgment is earned.The gift is free.☞    The judgment brought condemnation.The gift brought justification.☞    The judgment is a expression of that which is just and right – It followed as promised. It was a matter of following through on what was said. For God to ignore sin would be for Him to deny Himself.The gift is an expression of God’s amazing love and grace. – It followed repeated transgressions. It stands in stark contrast to what was just and right… at least at the level of the one who is justified.☞    The judgment of death from sin is earned. The death that comes with it is well earned by our sin. As much as we try to deny it, the death and destruction that surrounds us in this fallen and broken world is a fruit of sin, ours and others…Grace, while free to us, was not without cost. The cost of grace was Jesus’ perfect obedience, even to death on the cross. Without this there would be no grace. In order for a gift to truly be a gift it must be purchased by the giver.That death should follow sin should come as no surprise to any of us. In fact, we instinctively know that justice demands punishment of sin (and we easily see that in our attitude toward others who sin against us).However, that the gift of grace should follow MANY sins, is contrary to our way of thinking. |   | The other day I had someone say to me that it would not be fair to us who have embraced Jesus Christ if God saved everyone. – Think about that for a minute!Are we saved because we are somehow more deserving of that salvation than those around us?!?The gift of grace is not like the result of sin. The one is deserved. The other is an outpouring of God’s love. Matthew 20:1-16 – the parable of the gracious landowner – the problem the people had was in comparing what THEY did with what others did. They felt that they DESERVED more because they DID more. Rather than seeing the wages as an act of generosity on the part of the landowner, they saw them as their due. What they were missing was that the landowner was given EACH of them what they needed to live on.When we do this, we lose the attitude of gratitude which God wants us to have and which is key to enjoying life.When we really understand this point, that God’s grace is NOT connected to what we do or do not do, that all the blessings of this life are expressions of His grace towards us rather than that which we have earned and deserve, then and ONLY then do we begin to live by God’s grace.Think about it: How many of us would really want to receive what we really deserve?!? And yet, we easily fall into that pattern as we compare ourselves with others around us, both positively and negatively, as though WE were each receiving what we deserved, or NOT…When we receive what we feel we have earned, we feel like we are entitled to it, and we see little or no reason to give glory to God for it, like a paycheck received for a day’s work.However, when our plans do not work out as we thought they should, when we are denied that promotion we feel we deserved, when our children do not respond as we feel they ought, when we are mistreated by others, etc. we are quick to feel somehow cheated.And when others prosper even when we know that they don’t deserve it, we feel resentful.My friends, these attitudes are not the fruit of God’s grace. They do not flow from an understanding and an application of God’s grace in our lives.Grace is not like sin. Sin is cause and effect. Grace is God’s heart pouring out His blessing on the undeserving.Point #2: God’s grace is entirely different from our sin. Sin produces death. God’s grace produces life. Sin is our choice and we can take credit for it. Grace is entirely God’s choice and we can only embrace it humbly and gratefully. 3. The Results of Grace vs. the Results of Sin If death reigned because of one man’s sin, then MUCH MORE will the free gift of righteousness reign in life through Jesus Christ.☞    Condemnation vs. justification (v. 16)Verse 16 – cont’d (ESV) For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. (ESV)One man’s sin resulted in condemnation for us all. In other words, we all stand condemned before God – (elaborate)Justification means “being accepted by God even though we are guilty of many sins.” (v. 16 NLT)The NCV translates it being made “right with God.”We need to understand the ramifications of this. We were guilty, condemned, fully deserving of God’s eternal rejection and condemnation. And then God purchased a pardon for us with the blood of His own Son. Now He offers that pardon to us as a free gift. He offers any who will accept it the free gift of being made right with Him.The question: Do we WANT to be right with Him?☞    The result of sin vs. the result of the free gift of grace (v. 17)Verse 17 (ESV) If because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.The result of sin is the reign of death. Death is a by-product of sin. The death and destruction, the pain and misery which surrounds us in this fallen and broken world is the result of our rejection of God.On the other hand, those who accept the free gift of grace find that, increasingly righteousness reigns. ·   Where we once were able to sin and give it little or no thought, now our sin grieves us.·   Where we once found it easy to justify and rationalize our sin, now we find ourselves, at times, even questioning our salvation because we are so painfully aware of our sin.·   Where once we were becoming deader and deader towards God and righteousness, now we are becoming more and more like He who is our righteousness, even Jesus Christ.The Question: Not do we still sin, but rather, do we long for righteousness to reign in our lives and are we taking steps to move in that direction?☞    Death vs. righteousness (v. 17)If the fact that Adam sinned resulted in the death of almost everyone since then (and it did)Then, MUCH MORE will all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness live in triumph over sin and death through the one man, Jesus Christ.If the action of one man resulted in death reigning,Then how much more will the actions of Jesus Christ result in righteousness reigning in life.NOTE: There are two types of righteousness here:Imputed righteousness and Practical righteousness·   Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Himself. It is the ONLY basis any of us can have to be acceptable in God’s sight. If we are not clothed in His righteousness, then we stand condemned, for not one of us is righteous.·   Practical righteousness is the outworking of imputed righteousness. It refers to the actual righteousness of what we do, say and think. Because of the remnants of sin within us we all still sin. However, if we have truly received the free gift of Christ’s righteousness then it WILL show itself in our word, actions and attitudes.Two Questions: 1. Are you fully clothed in Christ’s righteousness, trusting ONLY in that for God’s acceptance and pleasure? Or do you find yourself doubting God’s love because YOU are still sinning?2. Does righteousness reign in YOUR life? Are you quick to confess and turn from sin as the Holy Spirit convicts you of it? Can you see the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power in your heart?Point #3: The children of Adam show themselves to be his children by the reality of sin and death reigning in their lives. The children of God show themselves to be His children by the reality of Christ’s righteousness reigning in their lives, both in terms of their basis of peace with God and in terms of growing personal righteousness. A Truth to Remember: God’s grace is FAR greater than the worst of our sin. Our only hope of being acceptable to Him is to embrace that free gift by faith.A Challenge to Consider: Are you truly applying yourself to know God better and thereby to live in the power of His grace and righteousness? |