The Deadliest Virus Ever
Romans: Unashamed - Building the Church through the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted
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What is the OBJECTIVE of this Sermon? To demonstrate the origin of sin in this world and its implications.
What is the DESIRED RESPONSE for this Sermon? For the unbeliever to recognise their reprobate condition. And for the believer to REJOICE in their sweet and glorious position.
BUILD TENSION
Me - Patient Zero - I’m always intrigued with dystopian, end of the world type movies. During the beginning of the pandemic, Angie and I watched a movie called, “Pandemic.” There was a virus that swept through the entire world killing many of the population.
Well, guess what they needed to know in order to save the world from the global, deadly pandemic? They needed to find out about patient zero so they could understand what happened in order to created a cure for this deadly virus. They needed to know the cause so they could find and apply the cure.
This movie came out well before the global pandemic we have faced - but it was fascinating to watch nonetheless. Where did the virus originate!!??
We - Even with COVID-19, there has been a great deal of conversation and speculation as to the virus’ true origin. We want to know!! Most likely we want this information so we know who to blame. Who is patient zero!
God - COVID - 19 is no fun. I’ve had it twice and it’s no party. I’ve even had a friend whom I graduated with from High School die from complications of COVID-19. But, I am glad to report that the vast number of people
But I am here to tell you this morning that there is a much greater and more challenging problem that we face than COVID - 19. And Paul makes this problem apparent in Romans 5:12-14. It is a problem that every human on the face of this earth suffers from. We all have a deadly virus...
Bottom Line - The Virus of Sin Kills All With or Without the Law!
1. The Sin Virus Spreads Everywhere (vs. 12)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Whether you like it or not, sin is a reality in our world today.
Just look around you for proof.
(Give Proof)
Sin is so pervasive, that it is just a normal way of life for us. We are actually surprised when someone is good to us.
Define sin - missing the mark of God’s perfect and holy standard.
How did we get here? How did this happen? How did sin enter the world.
Paul says, “sin came into the world through one man...”
Now certainly evil existed - hence the Devil in the garden (in the form of a snake). But the Devil’s evil planted a devastating seed in the hearts and minds of both Adam and Eve. And that seed took root quickly and brought forth a deadly fruit. You could say that by them capitulating and eating the fruit bore the fruits of ruin, devastation, and death.
More on this in verse 14, but the sin of Adam was so egregious that it plunged humanity into an irreversible, wrath-filled state between God and man. The people who walked with God in His garden would hide from Him in the trees.
Take a look at this pivotal story in the book of Genesis...
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
From sweet fellowship with their creator, to sin filled blame-shifting of one another (ultimately God), this rotten fruit of sin is the result of eating the fruit that the Lord commanded them to leave alone.
And although Eve was the one that first fell into this sin, Adam was held accountable for two reasons.
First, he was right there and he knew from the mouth of God what His responsibility was.
Second, God put Adam in the leadership role in the relationship and thus was culpable for this decision that was made.
The result of this disastrous decision?
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
“death through sin...”
God promised Adam very clearly in...
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
And their decision to break the Word of God didn’t simply affect them, the affects are still being felt to this day and beyond. Look at what Paul says in...
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
We all die! This is what Paul says in verse 12...
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Friends, the sin virus is deadly!
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
This is a universal principle. Sin affects everyone from the greatest to the least. No one escapes the ramification of this deadly strain.
Near the end of this verse it says, “and so death spread to all men...” The word for men is not “anthropos”, but “throwpu” which means “people.” All people are infected by sin sickness.
How do we know this to be true?
First, this is what the Bible says over and over and over...
Second, experientially we know this to be true. It is obvious all have sinned and continue to do so.
We do not need to teach our children to be selfish and rude. We do not need to instruct people on how to gossip and slander. Pride comes very easily to all of us. Sin in in our very DNA.
Just as a duck is a duck and can do nothing other than be a duck, so it is with us. Sinners to the core.
Third, you were in Adam when he sinned and therefore guilty of his sin! “In theology, federal headship is one theory used to explain imputation—how Adam’s sin was imputed to all his descendants and how Christ’s righteousness was imputed to those who believe the gospel. According to the federal headship theory, or federalism, Adam was the federal (or representative) head of the human race; Adam chose to sin, and all of us are considered guilty, too, because he was our representative.” https://www.gotquestions.org/federal-headship.html
This sin virus is deadly and has spread to every person who has ever walked this planet save one.
Apply - David said these profound words in Psalm 51...
For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
The best thing that you can do right now is understand that you are a sinner. You are guilty for sin because you were in Adam when he sinned. And you yourself have engaged in sinful activity in thought, word and deed throughout your entire life. You got it from Adam and you engage in it on your own. You are two-fold guilty. And this, as you will continue to see, it a big problem.
Review - The Virus of Sin Kills All With or Without the Law!
The Sin Virus Spreads Everywhere
2. The Sin Virus Arrived Before the Law (vs. 13)
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
The law did not produce sin, it revealed it! Sin came through Adam and Eve.
And while sin was not “counted” or “imputed,” it still had a significant consequence - pain and death.
Paul’s point is that it isn’t the law’s fault that we sin. Sin has been around for a long time - well before the law.
Adam and Eve broke the express command of God to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
Babel - The people refused to obey God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
People were not held accountable for the Mosaic law because it had not been revealed yet. Yet the consequences of sin were very real.
Listen to how Warren Wiersbe explains this...
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Live like a King! (Romans 5)
We know that all men die. But death is the result of disobeying the Law. There was no Law from Adam to Moses, but men still died. A general result demands a general cause. What is that cause? It can be only one thing: the disobedience of Adam. When Adam sinned, he ultimately died. All of his descendants died (Gen. 5), yet the Law had not yet been given. Conclusion: they died because of Adam’s sin. “For that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12) means “all have sinned in Adam’s sin.” Men do not die because of their own acts of sin; otherwise, babies would not die (Rom. 9:11). Men die because they are united racially to Adam, and “in Adam all men die” (1 Cor. 15:22).
The Point? Sin has been around since the beginning and it hasn’t just been around, it has changed the very fabric of our existence, which leads to the last point...
Illustrate - Imagine what life would be like if there was no sin...
No police
No jails or prisons
No judges or lawyers
Anything that has to do with keeping people on the straight and narrow would not be necessary.
It would be heaven on earth. And, to be honest with you, this is what we have to look forward to in the future. Life will be a beautiful utopia!
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
But the unfortunate fact is this. The sin virus is here and it has been around since Adam. And because of Adam’s sin, all die.
It’s not the laws fault, it is your fault. You are responsible before God for your sin.
Apply - Remember back to the Genesis 3 passage that I read just a while ago? That the man and the woman blame-shifted instead of confessing and taking responsibility for their sin?
I think its time for you to take responsibility for you sin. Honestly, it is your only path to freedom from your sin.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Will you right now own your sin? Own the fact that because of Adam you inherited a sin nature and you have personally expressed your sin nature over and over throughout your life.
Before you can ever have a right relationship with God, you must take this step. You must admit that you are a sinner.
Review - The Virus of Sin Kills All With or Without the Law!
The Sin Virus Spreads Everywhere
The Sin Virus Arrived Before the Law
3. The Sin Virus Causes Death to be King (vs. 14)
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Sin brings forth death. And death didn simply happen, it “reigned”.
In other words, Death was king!
Paul said death reigned from the time of Adam to the time the law came through Moses.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 5
Those who did not live under the law were still judged for their sin, since death held sway over them. Still, their sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, since Adam violated a commandment specifically revealed to him by God. Adam is a type (model, pattern; Gk. typos) of Christ, for both Adam and Christ are covenantal heads of the human race, so that all people are either “in Adam” or “in Christ” (cf. 1 Cor. 15:22). All are in Adam by physical birth, while only those with the new birth are in Christ.
But this “king” would not reign forever. This “king” would be dethroned. Where? At the cross
The true and rightful King - the King of kings and the Lord of lords - the second Adam would provide a way that would not lead to death, rather He would lead us to life everlasting!
Adam is specifically referred to as a type of Christ. In what sense? In the sense that he is the representative of humanity. Christ is also the representative of this new humanity. Not born of flesh and blood, but by the shed blood of Christ, his burial and resurrection.
He is the representative of the new humanity born again by the Spirit of God.
Death has no power over the Christ of God!
Death Has No Power Over Me - Song by Adrienne Camp and Jeremy Camp
… You tore the veil so I could see
The beauty of Your majesty
With blood stained arms, You carried me
Into Your love eternally
The empty tomb, it heals our stains
The grip of hell will not remain
Filled with Your power, I'm standing free
Jesus, You are my glorious king, oh
… And death has no power over me
And I will stand in the wake of victory
So then come what may
I'll follow all the way
'Cause death has no power over me
Apply - Friends, how are you living your life these days?
What does this mean?
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
It means DEATH has no power over you if you are his saint!
Review - The Virus of Sin Kills All With or Without the Law!
The Sin Virus Spreads Everywhere
The Sin Virus Arrived Before the Law
The Sin Virus Causes Death to be King
You - You have a virus far, far worse than Covid-19 could ever hope to be. You have been infected by your great, great, great, grandfather, Adam. And you have been infected with the sin virus.
And this Sin virus will kill you! The death rate of this virus is 100%. There is no escape. There is no cure for this insidious sin virus - except through one way. The Way! The Truth and The Life!
Jesus, the Second Adam, the final Adam, He did what the first Adam failed to do...
I have a very important question for you. Do you understand that you are a sinner? Do you understand that the Law of God doesn’t make you sinful, but it sure confirms it to be true!
Do you understand that your sin will kill you - eternally?
Do you understand the only vaccine that is 100% efficacious is the blood of Jesus?
If you are a believer, you have been cured from the death of sin.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
If you are not a believer, even though you may look and feel fine, you are on your metaphorical deathbed.
The cure?
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Repent of your sin! (Explain)
Have FAITH in Christ as your only hope for eternal salvation!
I invite you! I beg you to turn to Christ today!
We - We as a church must never forget what brings us together?
SIN!!! Our sin sickness brings us together and this is a hospital for the sin sick.
If we as a church had a difinitive cure for Covid-19, cancer, Aids, or whatever, would we publically boast about it?
Are we publically boasting about the cure we have in Christ?
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
And the cure is the only cure available. Christ and Christ alone!
And if we are saved, if we are “In Christ,” we are cured for ALL eternity!
What should this reality cause us to do?
REJOICE - PUBLICLY EXAULT! (Did you do your homework from last week?)
Connection Group Reflection Questions
1. What do these verses teach me about our character?
2. What do these verses teach me about God and his character?
3. Because these words are from God, they are TRUTH! What truth is he asking me to believe?
4. What do I need to do to obey him?
5. With whom can I share these truths?