Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 5:12-21 Part 2

Intro: Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the kings horses and all the kings men. Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.

         We learned last week that Adam was like the character Humpty Dumpty. Through the sin of disobedience, he had a great fall from innocence and perfect fellowship with God, and no one was able to restore what he lost. No one,   except Jesus Christ.

Summary: Last week I said that two kingdoms desire that you live under their rule. The kingdom headed by Adam, humanities representative where sin and death reign. A place where we are all inhabitants because we are born  human. The other kingdom  headed by Jesus Christ , is where grace and life reign. We are born again, created anew into this kingdom when we accept JC as our Savior.

Trans: Christianity has the only explanation for the reign of sin and death. And Christianity has the only solution for it. When we die, we have the assurance of life after death, the assurance of  heaven if, we are ' In Christ'. What are the advantages of being 'In Christ' over being 'In Adam'? That is what Paul explains to us in Rom. 5:15-21. He compares and contrasts the two heads, Adam over humanity and Jesus Christ over the new humanity, the true people of God. This is where the text gets very busy and difficult to understand.  I will try to simplify it by using an overhead.

II. All Believers are 'In Christ' (Rom. 5:15-21)
    A. The Reign of Grace.  (vs. 15-17)
Read: Rom. 5:15

         The Free Gift: Jesus' death on the cross for our sin
         The one transgression: Adam's sin of disobedience to God.

          Paul is saying that the Free gift of God is not like the Sin  of Adam because the result of God's grace is greater than the result of Adam's sin. Yes, all deserve death, but God's grace has the power to reverse the effect of Adam's sin.

Read: Rom. 5:16

         Paul tells us that Adam's sin of disobedience resulted in God's judgment, death. BUT even in our state of sin and rebellion, God's grace is sufficient to forgive and cover over all our sins and present us justified before God.

Read: Rom. 5:17

         Here Paul contrasts 'The One Man' or headship over humanity.  He says that  Adam sinned and death reigns over all because all are 'In Adam' BUT 'In Christ', those who receive the free gift (Jesus' death on the cross) will live under the reign of  life.

Trans: Paul now switches to the ways Adam and Christ are alike. After all, in vs. 14 Paul says that Adam was a type JC. An imperfect example who comes before the perfect.

    B. The Reign of Life. (vs. 18-21)
Read: Rom. 5:18

         Paul is comparing the one act of the two men who represent humanity. The one act of sin by Adam brought condemnation to all. Just like the one act of righteousness by JC brings justification to all. All who receive (context is vs. 17)

Read: Rom. 5:19

         The emphasis here is on the results of the one act of both Adam and Jesus. Both made something. Adam's disobedience  made us sinners. Jesus' obedience makes us righteous.

Read: Rom. 5:20

         Paul says the Law was given and as a result sin was revealed. The sin increased as people were made aware that what they were doing was sin. So in a way, the Law was a catalyst to making sin increase. Not by intent, but by practice. Paul assures us that just as sin increased, grace increased even more. We can never run out of God's grace. We will never have a need that God's grace is unable to satisfy. That's the kind of assurance I need at times... how about you?

Read: Rom. 5:21

         Paul is giving us a summary statement here. He puts it all together by saying that just as sin leads to the reign of death for all humanity. By grace righteousness leads to the reign of life , eternal life to all who are 'In Christ'.

APP: This was good news to the Believers living in Rome. Especially to those who at times fell into sin and failed to walk faithfully with JC. 'In Christ' they were no longer under the reign of sin and death. 'In Christ' they were now under the reign of grace and life. This brought comfort and great assurance to them...and I hope to you also. As Believers we will sin, but we don't have to live in the valley of depression and guilt. We don't have to live under a cloud of doubt.

         We have the assurance of forgiveness, of grace that is 'much more' as the text repeats 5 times, much more than our sin.
Praise God! For every sin that robs and destroys, there is grace to rebuild and restore. For every grave opened by the reign of sin , there is a door opened to heaven by the reign of grace.

Conclusion
         So, are you  'In Christ' or 'In Adam'? Since Adam was at one time perfect and even He fell, what hope do you have? Your only hope is to believe in JC and be joined to Him. To be delivered, saved from the reign of sin and death. To stand 'In Christ', for all eternity.

         To the Believer, be assured. If you have asked JC into your life, thru faith, if you have repented of your sins, you are 'In Christ'. Your relationship with God the Father is secured, for all eternity. No doubts, no fears about what will happen when you die, if you sin, if you miss church one week.  You are 'In Christ', because He is 'In you'.

         Under the reign of Grace and Life there is no defeat, there is no end to that eternal kingdom. Charles Wesley wrote 'O for a 1000 tongues to sing my great redeemers praise. The glories of my God and King the triumphs of His grace.' There are no triumphs like the triumphs of God's grace. There are none so confident as those who live under the reign of Grace and Life.

         Let grace triumph in your life. Let the flow of the reign of Grace saturate you with the love of God. Yield to it, Yield to the Grace of God in Christ Jesus. Open you arms and your life to His abounding Grace. Let it draw you to God. Let the flow of the reign lead you to life everlasting.

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall.  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  All the kings horses and all the kings men.  Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Charles Swindoll ends the nursery rhyme this way.

Jesus Christ came to the wall. Jesus Christ died for our fall. So that regardless of death and in spite of our sin,  through grace, He might put us together again.