[0:00] Chapter 1. I'm going to read them today just simply because there's a few different verses scattered through the Genesis that we want to read.
[0:23] So it's on page 4, Genesis chapter 1. So when you found Genesis 1 on page 4, also go to Romans chapter 5, which is on page 1132.
[0:37] Romans chapter 5, which is on page 1132. So Genesis 1, starting at verse 26.
[1:01] And then we'll go to Romans 5. So let's read then from Genesis 1, verse 26. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
[1:31] So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number.
[1:46] Fill the earth and subdue it. Now go to chapter 2, verse 15 of Genesis. Chapter 2, verse 15.
[1:59] The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.
[2:14] But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die. Chapter 3, verse 1.
[2:29] Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?
[2:43] The woman said to the serpent, We may eat from the trees in the garden, but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.
[2:56] You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
[3:11] When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
[3:27] Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Now turn please to Romans chapter 5, verse 12.
[3:44] Verse 12. Verse 12. Romans 5, verse 12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
[4:08] For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as Adam did, who was a pattern of the one to come.
[4:32] But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many?
[4:46] Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. But the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
[5:01] 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?
[5:17] Consequently, consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
[5:33] for just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous.
[5:46] The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[6:09] Well, please keep your Bibles open. Romans chapter 5, and we'll look at this passage together.
[6:29] Let's pray. There is so much that is familiar about what we are doing.
[6:48] We come here each week. We sit with our Bibles open and we listen. There's so much that we know from the Bible.
[7:00] There's things that we've read before. And so our prayer, Father, is that you would guard us against familiarity.
[7:14] And that what we read at together and what we look at together would be fresh to us. That the grace of God would intervene and penetrate deep down into every one of our lives.
[7:34] That we would grasp afresh the wonder of what you have done so that no one will leave here this morning without having grasped how great you are.
[7:54] The life that we can have today and the life that is to come. So please change us, we ask. In Jesus' name.
[8:06] Amen. Amen. Well, tracing your family's ancestry has become quite a popular pastime.
[8:19] In many ways, it's very interesting to find out what your great-great-grandparents did and whereabouts they lived. But deeper than that, I think there is this unresting desire to know who you are.
[8:33] What makes me who I am? What's happened in the past that shapes me and who I am today? Well, members of our family have researched the records and we can trace our family line right the way back to Clan Grant.
[8:53] Descendants of King Kenneth McAlpine, apparently. We were sheriffs of Inverness in the 13th century. Strong supporters of Wallace.
[9:05] Do you remember Braveheart? To picture right now my great-great-great-granddaddy charging across the heather in his kilt, waving his sword as he sent the English back across the border.
[9:21] It's interesting, isn't it? But it doesn't really tell me who I am. We need to go much further back to discover who we really are.
[9:32] You see, there is another record that traces back our family line right to the very beginning. Our first father. Back in Genesis, what we read earlier, we were told that God made man in his image.
[9:50] The first man, Adam, from whom flows the whole human race. The present population of this world stands at about 6.6 billion, which includes thousands of people groups and different cultures and languages and races.
[10:10] Yet for all of our diversity, even here we're a diverse group. But if we were to trace our family line all the way back, we would end up at the same place, the same person, Adam.
[10:26] Now it's only when we look back to Adam that we discover who we really are. What has shaped us and what makes us the kind of people we are today.
[10:42] And what we find is an inescapable likeness. Look at verse 12, chapter 5.
[10:55] Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, that was Adam, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people because all sinned.
[11:11] Now that makes uncomfortable reading. Of course, we are reaping the consequences of Adam's sin that we read about in Genesis 3. But this does not mean that all the blame falls on Adam.
[11:26] No, the point of verse 12 is that we are all just like Adam because at the end of verse 12, we have all sinned. Now when our son is naughty and stubbornly refuses what to do, Kirstie will turn to me and say, he's his father's son.
[11:46] And of course, that's the same thing my mum says about me to Kirstie. He's his father's son. And what they mean is that I have inherited my father's sinful nature, but I'm responsible for my behavior.
[12:03] Likewise, my poor son has inherited my sinful nature, but he's still responsible for his actions. Look at the beginning of verse 19.
[12:18] For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many or all people were made sinners.
[12:29] It couldn't be more clear, could it? We have inherited Adam's sinful nature. We were born sinners. We were made sinners. But it's not all Adam's fault.
[12:44] It's our responsibility. Now we don't like that sort of thing and of course, there are objections to this. And there are objections in this passage here.
[12:57] First of all, you have the irreligious person, the person who doesn't bother with church and don't like reading their Bible and they say, well, how can you call me a sinner? Because I don't have a Bible and I've never read it.
[13:10] So how do I know if I'm doing something wrong? Well, Adam didn't have a Bible either, did he? But yet he was considered a sinner. Look at verse 13.
[13:20] For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account where there is no law.
[13:35] In other words, how can you judge me if I don't have the law? How can you say I've done something wrong if there's no basis to judge it against? Verse 14. Well, nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses.
[13:49] Moses was the one who was given the law. Even over those who did not sin by breaking a command as Adam did. Let me try and explain that a bit more.
[14:02] Suppose you're driving home and you're very, very late for an appointment. So you take a shortcut over the back roads and at great speed you're dodging all the potholes, winding your way along and then suddenly you're stopped by the guards.
[14:16] and the conversation starts. But there was no sign officer. I didn't see a sign anywhere on the road and I haven't a clue what the speed limit is.
[14:31] Do you think he'd believe you? You see, regardless of whether there is a signpost or not, your conscience tells you what is right or wrong.
[14:44] You know it's dangerous driving and that you're guilty. And that's what he's saying here about Adam. He knows he's guilty whether he's got a Bible or not.
[14:57] But then second, the other objection is the religious person who does read their Bible and you'll always find them in church and they'll say well how can you call me a sinner?
[15:09] I do read my Bible and I do know what's right and what's wrong. Well look at verse 20. It says the law was added so that the trespass might increase.
[15:26] In other words, having a signpost before you that says 80 kilometres an hour is never going to stop you doing 100 kilometres an hour if you want to.
[15:38] It only tells you what the speed limit is. It can't stop you from doing it. In fact, it only tells you if you've broken the law. It actually judges you.
[15:50] And he's making the same point here. In other words, reading the Bible isn't going to stop you from sinning. Knowing what's right and wrong isn't going to make a type of difference in your life. It only makes you aware of sin.
[16:04] And you see, what Paul is doing here is he's reminding this church that he's writing to which is made up of a mixed bunch of people. There were Gentiles. They were people from a non-religious background.
[16:16] And then there were a bunch of Jews who were from a religious background. But he's saying you're exactly the same. He'd been telling them that back in chapter 3.
[16:28] You may have different cultures. You may have different family lines. But you know what? You are the same sinful people with the same sinful pedigree.
[16:42] And it's exactly the same for us. The uncomfortable truth is whether we're religious or irreligious, whether we've read our Bibles or we don't read our Bibles, we all have an inescapable likeness to Adam.
[16:55] We are all natural born sinners. Now this likeness brings about terrifying results.
[17:06] I'm sure we've all seen the news and read the papers and heard the story about Michaela Hart. A tragic event. Starting out on married life with all their dreams ahead of them.
[17:21] And of course people ask the question, why? Why did it happen? Well the things that I've read is that people say, well there wasn't enough security.
[17:32] If security was better it wouldn't have happened. Other people are saying, well in one part it's a very affluent kind of place but the people who are working there, well they're struggling with poverty and that's why they did it.
[17:48] Well whatever answer you come up with the true answer is sin. Those who did the murder, those who are convicted are all related to Adam.
[18:03] We might look at our own country and we give off about it and we say, well why is it the way it is? People will blame the markets and they'll say it's the banks. Well the true answer is it's sin.
[18:19] And those who have caused it all, ourselves included, are all related to Adam. And we look at our own lives. Stop looking at other people. Let's look at ourselves.
[18:30] Broken relationships, fallouts with family. Why does it all go so horribly wrong? Well there's always somebody else to blame. It's always somebody else's fault.
[18:41] But the true answer is we're all related to Adam. We live in a sin-wrecked world. And I'm sure we've also seen all the pictures of the flooding in Queensland in Australia.
[19:00] Did you see the way the Brisbane River has overflowed and it spilled out right the way through the city down every street and into every neighbourhood causing devastation and destruction?
[19:18] Well the first sin of the first man way back in the Garden of Eden has been flowing through the world ever since and its overflowing effects has caused universal destruction.
[19:33] we see it all around us. The world is terribly broken. But we can't keep pointing back to Adam and blame him.
[19:46] We must put our hand up because we are all responsible. Look at verse 18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass with condemnation for all people.
[20:10] Well you say, is that it? That somehow I'm tied in in my relationship through to Adam that we live in this sin-wrecked world and my life is sinful and is that it?
[20:23] Is there any way to change our likeness? Is there any way to change the world in which we live? Well, thankfully there is. There is, secondly, a remarkable intervention.
[20:35] Look at verse 14. The very last sentence of verse 14. It says that Adam was a pattern of the one to come. Do you see that phrase?
[20:47] He was a pattern of the one to come. The one to come was, of course, Jesus Christ. The one who can not only stop all the destruction but actually reverse it.
[21:02] Now when it says that Adam is a pattern of the one to come, it's not saying that Adam is the same as Christ but that he's a pattern. Let me explain.
[21:14] Just as the single act of Adam caused death and destruction in the world, so the single act of Christ has brought life and transformation.
[21:29] The one act of Adam has caused death and destruction but the one act of Christ has brought life and transformation. Read verse 19 and we'll get a better picture.
[21:40] for just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one man, that's Jesus, the many will be made righteous.
[21:57] They're not the same but their actions both have major consequences. In fact, what this passage is telling us that what Jesus has done is far superior and far greater.
[22:12] The transformation of Jesus is far greater than the destruction of Adam. First, the intervention of grace. Look at verse 15. He says, the gift is not like the trespass.
[22:25] In other words, Jesus is not like what Adam did. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many?
[22:42] Now, Adam's action resulted in the death of many. That's what it's saying. If we think of that image again of the flooding river, the flood only started with a few drops of rain.
[22:56] And as the rains continued to fall, so the river began to swell. And at first it seems fine that it's all controlled and that nothing's going to happen. But the more rain that falls, the more and more it fills and the worse it becomes.
[23:13] And that's what it's saying here about Adam. His first sin was like the first drops of rain in a flood. All the time expanding and increasing in depth.
[23:25] And it spreads throughout history causing widespread devastation. But the point here is that Jesus Christ came and intervened.
[23:37] He broke into this world to stop the terrifying and terrible effect of sin. Look at the second part of verse 15 again. It says, How much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.
[23:59] If you try and picture a different scene in your mind of a desert wasteland, barren and lifeless, a cracked, dried up riverbed, but then a stream of water begins to flow, bringing with it life.
[24:19] And as the river begins to fill, it overflows and it spills out into the surrounding plains. And that's the picture that we have here, that the overflow of God's grace can spill out from that one man, Jesus Christ.
[24:38] It overflows and spills out into the lives of many, bringing with it life. verse 16.
[24:51] Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
[25:07] the river in Brisbane has overflowed causing chaos and destruction.
[25:19] Now in hindsight, I guess what was required would have been a great big barrier at the head of the river to stop any kind of flooding coming into the city. Well picture now Christ on the cross with loving arms open wide.
[25:37] And it's like he stands before all mankind as the barrier. The one who absorbs the torrent of destruction of our sin.
[25:51] Again, look at the second part of verse 16. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
[26:07] the judgment and the condemnation, the torrent of God's wrath, flowed and it fell on Christ. And so all those who turn to Christ and find their rescue in Him are declared right with God.
[26:28] But there is more than just intervention. There is also transformation. Look at verse 17. 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?
[26:59] Because of our relationship to Adam, we're told that death reigns, sin reigns, it's hopeless, it's empty, it's a terrible life. But now, because of God's abundant provision of grace in our lives, we have been completely transformed.
[27:16] Look at the contrast that we have in verse 17. Because of sin, death reigns in us, but now because of Christ, it says we reign in life.
[27:29] It's not just that we move from death to life, it's more than that. It says we reign in life. Way back in the Garden of Eden, what we read in Genesis, Adam was given the job to rule over the creation.
[27:46] He was living in a sinless world, enjoying paradise in all of its beauty. But he wrecked it, and we have wrecked it. But now through Christ, we are given grace, to reign, literally to rule in life, to be able to do the job that Adam failed to do, to look after God's world properly, to live in God's world the way we're meant to.
[28:16] It's a picture of a great king who's reaching out to one of his enemies, a rebel, reaching out beyond the walls of his city, making him a prince, and inviting him into the city, and giving him a new position to live in his kingdom, to enjoy its beauty and safety and security, and say, now rule this land.
[28:40] It's a complete transformation. And that's exactly what God's grace has done in our lives if we have accepted it. He has transformed our life from being outside to inside, but more than that, he says, now I want you to reign in life, to rule.
[29:03] And of course, we do live with the ongoing consequences of sin, but a time will come when all those who accept his grace are going to reign with King Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth, where we will be living in paradise as a prince or a princess.
[29:29] Listening to the reports of what happened to Michaela Hart, I listened to one lady who was a resident there and she said, this country is like paradise. She described it as heaven on earth.
[29:45] But then this awful tragedy, this murder, and she couldn't come to terms with it. How this place, where everybody was so kind and so hospitable, heaven on earth, and now it's all been destroyed.
[30:01] Well, that's just a little glimpse of the whole world, isn't it? People think it's heaven on earth. It's not. It's a mess. It's broken. But we have been changed.
[30:12] We have been transformed to somehow bring heaven to earth to live differently, to be the different kind of people God wants us to be. all the while as we await for paradise itself.
[30:27] This is the transformation that grace brings. And the results are amazing. Look at verse 18. Consequently, and again here, look at the contrast in these verses.
[30:41] Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, was so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
[30:56] Here's another contrast, verse 19. For just through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous.
[31:10] This change, this transformation, it's all down to God's amazing grace. Yes, sin is serious. Sin is devastating. Sin is destructive.
[31:24] But God's grace is superior and greater. Look at the second part of verse 20. Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
[31:43] There's so much mess, but where there is so much mess, God's intervening grace is so much greater. One writer put it like this, there is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in me.
[32:05] I'm delighted with that news. There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in me. Do you see what it said at the second part of verse 15?
[32:15] There is this repeated phrase in verse 15 and 17, how much more? How much more? There is so much sin in my life that causes so much heartache.
[32:32] How much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ overflow into my life and into your life.
[32:47] Verse 17, look at that phrase again, how much more? How much sin wrecks and ruins our lives and the world around us, but how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through Jesus Christ.
[33:13] The abundant provision of grace that overflows into our lives by faith in Christ is more than sufficient to cover up all of our sin, all of our mess, past, present and future.
[33:27] There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing that we have ever done or said or thought no matter how much has accumulated through our lives, that His grace isn't big enough or great enough to clean us and to renew us and transform us every single day.
[33:46] If somebody says they are too far gone, they haven't really understood the measure and the abundance of God's grace. God's grace. It's so transforming that it transfers us from being part of the Adams family, and we know what they're like, they're a bunch of funny people, aren't they?
[34:12] We're transformed from the Adams family, literally, and transferred into Christ's family. He owns us, we belong to Him.
[34:23] Verse 21, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[34:36] Since we come into Christ, this family is where grace reigns. Grace is to be the family motto.
[34:46] if we could have any banner above that door as you came in, it would be the word grace. Grace is to be the family motto.
[34:58] We remember, in fact, we are to never to forget where we all came from. We all come from the same family. We all have a sinful nature. We're all equally messed up.
[35:11] It's just that some people are better at hiding their mess than others. We are all natural born sinners. I don't care what your background is or who you are.
[35:23] And he is reminding these people here, the Jews, the Gentiles, divided amongst themselves, one thinking superior, one thinking inferior. Forget it. You're all the same.
[35:37] So don't start looking down and judging and condemning and pointing fingers at one another. don't be taking pride in your new family as if you somehow deserve it.
[35:50] It's all by grace. And this grace is to be available for everyone. It's not just for the people who are in this room.
[36:02] Look at the size of the hall. The majority of it is empty. Remember what it said, verse 15.
[36:14] It says it overflows. It overflows. Verse 17. There is an abundant provision of God's grace. It's not just that there's a small amount dished out to a few people and it's only for the few.
[36:30] It overflows. There's an abundance of it. And as we come into this new family, God's abundant grace is to flow from us, from our lives, into a world which is broken by sin, where people live with the devastation and destruction of it every single day.
[36:52] And we are to bring that grace to people's life, to bring that healing, to bring that restoration, to show them a better way, to show them a new way. family. And so together we are to be a united family under the banner of grace, a family that bubbles over and it floods the community with God's grace.
[37:15] Picture the scene of the river flowing through Brisbane. Now put your minds and just think of that as grace flowing out through the community into every home and every person that you come in contact with.
[37:28] God's grace is so much greater than sin, so much more powerful.
[37:42] And when we have grasped grace, sin will no longer reign, but we will reign in life. Let's pray together.
[37:58] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[38:10] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[38:26] Amen. Amen. Amen.