WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.719 I hope you don't feel I was insulting you by saying that most of us think we're smarter than God. 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:10.080 But I think it's going to be true because many of us find that text in Romans very complicated. 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:14.900 One of the things I should let you know is I'm not a very good evangelist. 00:00:15.540 --> 00:00:17.039 I'm just not very good at it. 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:20.000 I think it's a gift that others have, not me. 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:25.519 But what I have learned is the importance of unashamed witnessing for Jesus. 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:30.759 And that there's just simple ways that I can bear witness to Jesus in my daily life. 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:35.240 And I frequent certain coffee shops. 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:40.100 And because I frequent certain coffee shops, some people find out I'm a pastor or that I'm a Christian. 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:49.859 And a couple of weeks ago after church, one of the things I often do after church service is I stop off at a Starbucks and get myself a dark roast coffee from my drive home. 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:51.219 It's a simple pleasure. 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:58.979 And a couple of weeks ago, I went to Starbucks to have coffee and the barista knew that I'm a pastor. 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:01.659 And she said, oh, good. 00:01:01.739 --> 00:01:09.159 I've been meaning to ask you, what do you folks, you know, I think she even pointed at me, what do you folks think about reincarnation? 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:12.539 Like, do you guys believe in reincarnation? 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.579 You don't probably, right? 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:24.780 So it was just one of those real God moments, you know, where in a normally busy coffee shop for about 10 minutes, only one or two people came in. 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:35.280 And I had a conversation about the difference between the resurrection hope and Jesus and reincarnation with the two baristas and two other customers. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.079 And myself, the five of us had a 10-minute conversation, just a God moment. 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:47.319 But as I was driving to go home, I did this. 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:52.879 That's why I have a bit of a dent right here, because I do it so often. 00:01:53.139 --> 00:01:58.299 Because so often after I have a conversation talking with somebody, I think of better things I could have said. 00:01:58.419 --> 00:01:59.219 And that's what happened. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:01.759 I had a better thing that I could have said to her. 00:02:02.119 --> 00:02:10.620 Because what I could have said to them is, how come it is that in no newspaper in the world, every newspaper in the world, or maybe not all of them, 00:02:10.620 --> 00:02:14.400 but it's not unusual for a newspaper to have obituaries, right? 00:02:14.640 --> 00:02:15.620 People who've died. 00:02:16.039 --> 00:02:19.599 How come there's no newspaper in the world that has a nirvana section? 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:23.580 These people have attained nirvana this week. 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:29.939 And when they die, they're just going to stop the cycle of reincarnation, and they're going to merge with the one. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:34.860 Like, how come on no place on the planet is there a reincarnation, not a reincarnation, a nirvana section? 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:40.320 In fact, I should have said to her, and how come it is that if there was one, you would mock it? 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:42.700 You would make fun of it. 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:47.380 In fact, every comedian on the planet would make fun of a nirvana section. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:55.120 People who've become so perfect in this life that when they die, the cycle of reincarnation has ended for them. 00:02:55.900 --> 00:02:56.600 Like, why is it? 00:02:56.640 --> 00:02:57.800 That's what I should have said to her. 00:02:58.780 --> 00:03:02.160 And believe it or not, Romans 5 tells us all about that. 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:04.539 So if you were to, you see, here you go. 00:03:04.579 --> 00:03:07.000 You thought this text didn't have anything to do with bearing witness to Jesus. 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:09.060 It has everything in the world to our Christian life. 00:03:09.460 --> 00:03:11.240 It's one of the most important texts in the Bible. 00:03:11.359 --> 00:03:17.300 So it'd be a great help to me and to you if you got your Bibles and turned to Romans chapter 5, verses 12 to 21. 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:19.800 Romans 5, 12 to 21. 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:30.039 And this text tells us why it is that not only is there no nirvana section in any newspaper, but that if there was, we'd mock it. 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:32.259 We'd mock it. 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:33.280 We'd make fun of it. 00:03:33.699 --> 00:03:34.579 We wouldn't believe it. 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:37.199 And what does it say? 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:41.099 It's a very odd text and it's going to take a, just pray for me. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:44.739 It's going to take a couple of minutes to unpack it before we read all of it. 00:03:44.799 --> 00:03:48.120 But notice the very, very stark and stunning way that it begins. 00:03:48.120 --> 00:04:02.080 In fact, one of the things about the Bible is that people, I think, often don't realize that the Bible is so profoundly realistic that we find it shockingly depressing. 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:06.960 That, in fact, most Canadians would find a verse like this shockingly depressing. 00:04:07.140 --> 00:04:08.280 But it's very, very true. 00:04:08.340 --> 00:04:08.900 Listen to it. 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:29.439 Read it again. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:45.540 This is a very stark passage. 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:52.319 On one hand, it's very simple, very easy to understand, but it's very hard for our minds to grasp and want to stay with it. 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:58.620 So if you could put up the first, if you could put up the first point, here's the thing which is so shocking about this text. 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:01.800 The very first thing that it's sort of claiming. 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:02.920 Now we have to, there we go. 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:08.360 Sin, Adam's desire to be God, caused death. 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:11.899 That's what this text is saying. 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:17.779 Sin, Adam's desire to be God, caused death. 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:22.439 Now, just as an aside, many of us don't like using the word sin anymore. 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:32.699 And in fact, usually if I was to bear witness to Jesus in some type of way with, you know, different people that I've met, I probably wouldn't use the word sin. 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:36.139 Sin is something which is mocked as a word, right, in Canada. 00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:37.219 It's something that's mocked. 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:41.099 The comedian could say, oh, sin, and everybody would laugh, right? 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:41.879 That's how it is. 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:49.100 And often, for many Canadians, when they hear the word sin, they think it's talking about sex, which it isn't, actually. 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:57.139 But sin's a very, very precious word that even if it's just at the level of the church, when Christians are together with each other, 00:05:57.139 --> 00:06:01.819 it's an important word for us to actually hold on to and hold dear and use. 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:08.079 Because, you see, in our culture, when people talk about right and wrong, well, first of all, as you know, many people in our culture, 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:13.899 one of their big beliefs is that nobody can tell another person what's right or wrong for them. 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:27.699 I mean, basically, just about every song you hear on the radio, every TV show, in some way, that will be part of one of the messages which is communicated day in and day out, 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:30.939 that nobody can tell another human being what's right or wrong for them. 00:06:30.939 --> 00:06:34.079 And there's an incoherence in our culture about that. 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:39.800 And I understand that because, you know, we jump on people and beat them up if they do certain things that are wrong. 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:45.240 But on the other hand, even while we're beating them up, the very next breath, we'll say nobody can tell another person what's right or wrong for them. 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:49.240 And we tend to think of right or wrong as being involved with hurting people. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:56.139 But the word sin is such a precious word to Christians because it reminds us God exists. 00:06:56.139 --> 00:07:10.539 And that we can act in ways and do act in ways or fail to act in ways which are an act of rebellion against him and an act of trying to be like God. 00:07:10.540 --> 00:07:15.160 And the word sin keeps that before us. 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:22.160 So I wouldn't use it if I was talking in a Starbucks to people because they wouldn't get it. 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:23.240 They'd think I was joking. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:25.560 I'd try to use other language. 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:27.980 But we need to understand and remember the word. 00:07:28.040 --> 00:07:29.240 And that's what the text says, right? 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:38.520 It's not as if I'm just saying, it's not as if this is some, I don't know, medieval idea by sex-starved monks who whip themselves on the back, 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:40.840 who came up with this weird idea. 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:42.060 No, it's a Bible word. 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:44.120 It's a Bible word. 00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:48.160 And we should love Bible words and try to remember them. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:49.180 Listen to that verse again. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:56.120 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:00.560 and so death spread to all men because all sin. 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:01.480 It's a Bible word. 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:08.620 And what this text is saying is that sin, Adam's desire to be God, that caused death. 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:25.060 That, in fact, death, on one hand, it's a biological reality, but it's ultimately, it was caused by Adam deliberately rejecting God's command 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:28.899 because Adam wanted to be God, like God. 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:33.279 If you could put up the next thing, that would be very helpful. 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:34.439 Yeah, put up the next point. 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:38.179 Here's the next thing, which is very, very, very unusual in this text. 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.100 It's very un-Canadian, but it's what the Bible teaches. 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:44.959 I sin because I am a sinner. 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:47.800 I am not a sinner because I sin. 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:53.480 In other words, it's not because, okay, you followed me around for a week and you say, what? 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:56.280 Whoa, see how many times George sinned? 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:57.300 Sinner. 00:08:57.900 --> 00:08:58.180 No. 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.960 It's saying that I sin because I am a sinner. 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:04.620 Just think for this for a second. 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:08.700 If you met anybody who said, you know what? 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:17.659 I've had two children and my wife is expecting our third child, but we're convinced that this child will do nothing wrong her entire life. 00:09:18.580 --> 00:09:20.460 Like, this is going to be the perfect child. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:21.759 Really? 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:22.740 Really? 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:24.080 You'd all laugh. 00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:29.560 But as the parent became more and more insistent, no, no, no, no, really, this child will never be selfish. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:31.740 She's never going to tell a lie. 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:33.299 She's only going to love the truth. 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:36.740 She's never going to avoid doing something she should do. 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:38.279 And on and on and on. 00:09:38.859 --> 00:09:40.019 Well, you'd mock her, right? 00:09:40.339 --> 00:09:41.339 Why would you mock her? 00:09:41.359 --> 00:09:46.719 Because you wouldn't believe that some baby is about to be born and that this one baby is going to be perfect. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:48.000 You wouldn't believe that, would you? 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:52.179 Like, nobody would believe that. 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:59.779 Like, that's the same reason why, to my barista friends, I should have said to them that you would mock. 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:04.500 It's part of the same reason why you would mock a nirvana column in a newspaper. 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:08.879 Because we know that human beings do wrong things. 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:11.919 And the Bible here is saying, when it says here, 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:20.519 therefore, just sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men. 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:20.879 Why? 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:22.700 Because all sinned. 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:25.200 And as you're going to see in a moment, we read more of the text. 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:27.440 It's telling us that human beings are sinners. 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:32.340 There's something bent and broken about us that causes us to do things which are wrong. 00:10:32.420 --> 00:10:39.080 Not everything we do is wrong, but there's just a tinge of a desire to be like God that touches everything there is to be about a human being. 00:10:39.520 --> 00:10:40.759 I sin because I am a sinner. 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:41.960 I am not a sinner because I sin. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:43.940 If you could put up the next thing, that would be very helpful. 00:10:45.180 --> 00:10:48.680 And here's the thing that's also completely shocking about this text. 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:53.040 Sin and death are inevitable, not natural. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:57.920 That's what the Bible is telling us. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:02.600 Sin and death are inevitable, but they are not natural. 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:05.640 You see, if you go back, you can go online and listen. 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:09.020 I've been going through a series of the first 11 chapters of Genesis. 00:11:09.020 --> 00:11:14.000 And in fact, we've talked about creation and evolution and Adam and Eve in the fall. 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:15.759 Last week, we talked about Genesis 3. 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:21.320 But what the Bible teaches is that God made the entire world good and perfect. 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:32.680 And it was because of Adam's sin, Adam and Eve's sin, that human beings are sinners. 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:34.720 And that death came. 00:11:34.900 --> 00:11:36.540 That's what this text is teaching us. 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:40.860 No, I think that only, I think it's only the Christian faith that teaches something like this. 00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:49.120 And only the Christian faith, only this text explains one of the most fundamental experiences that we have as a human being. 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:54.379 That on one hand, we know that death seems natural to us. 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:56.240 On the other hand, we know that it shouldn't be. 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.940 That there's something just wrong about death. 00:12:00.560 --> 00:12:03.240 That in some way, death is just an offense. 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.879 It just doesn't make, it just isn't right somehow death. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:14.860 And only the Bible, only this account makes clear to us why it is that human beings think that. 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:20.360 And so, you know, really, I fall into the habit of saying that death is natural. 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:27.419 But really, if I was listening to the Bible, what I need to say is that sin and death are inevitable for every human being. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:29.419 But they're not natural. 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:32.519 It's not the way God created the world and the universe to be. 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:36.539 Now, why is it that the Bible says these things? 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:42.539 It says these three things because of an idea which is weird. 00:12:44.579 --> 00:12:48.480 Which is not how anybody in the world talks. 00:12:50.439 --> 00:12:55.319 And it's going to be hard for us to get our minds around, but it's what the Bible teaches. 00:12:56.199 --> 00:13:00.000 And you know what the fact is, friends, is that reality is weird. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:03.740 Like, the more we know about reality, the weirder reality is. 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:08.820 Like, talk to some physicists and biochemists and stuff. 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:15.879 Talk to them about how it is in quantum mechanics, how it is that events can seem to happen before the event. 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:19.360 Where two particles can be in the same place at the same time. 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:29.700 Or how it is that light ultimately, if you were able to shoot a beam of light and do it in such a way that it wasn't affected by gravity or anything like that. 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:34.919 That it would eventually, after eons, come back to the point at which you shot it because space is curved. 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.179 How can space be curved? 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:39.759 That's weird. 00:13:40.899 --> 00:13:43.299 But that's the current scientific understanding. 00:13:43.599 --> 00:13:45.620 If you could put up the next point, it would be very helpful. 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.399 Here's what's underneath all of these three ideas. 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:51.839 It's what accounts for these three ideas. 00:13:52.579 --> 00:13:54.799 Human beings have a covenant head. 00:13:55.339 --> 00:13:56.240 And his name is Adam. 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:02.200 It's the Bible presents this idea that, on one hand, every human being is unique. 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:03.940 Every human being is responsible. 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:08.560 But that human beings aren't just like Lego pieces. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:10.960 They're not completely separate. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:17.860 That God designed and created the human race in such a way that we are connected on one level. 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:21.360 As well as being individuals and having our own responsibility. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.120 But at a fundamental level, we are connected. 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:28.440 And some of you might hear it expressed as a federal head or a covenant head. 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:43.360 But in some way, all of us are connected with this very first person, Adam, whose act and actions has an immediate effect and consequence for every human being. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.879 The Bible says that's the way that human beings were actually designed and created by God. 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:53.200 It's not the way we think of it. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:54.700 But that's what the Bible is saying. 00:14:54.759 --> 00:15:00.139 And since the Bible is giving us the owner's manual to describe how it is that human beings actually are. 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:07.279 And that's why there's not going to be a baby that comes out that's going to be perfect. 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.000 That's why we sin because we're sinners. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:15.840 It's why life, sin and death are inevitable but not natural. 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:24.799 Because when Adam, as our covenant head, acted to rebel against God, that instantly affected all people. 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:26.940 We might not like it. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.000 We might ignore it. 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:30.159 We might not even know about it. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:30.919 But it really happens. 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:34.500 Same as, you know, we have a bit of an idea about how this works in different levels. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:46.559 It's like Trump made the executive order to send, to bomb the Syrian airfield that had been the source of the chemical attacks. 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:51.059 No American could say, well, that's just all Trump's fault. 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:53.039 America did it. 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:53.419 Right? 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:55.559 America did it. 00:15:55.559 --> 00:16:06.479 In the First World War, which we've been a lot of talk about, Vimy Ridge and the celebration of 100 years of it, 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:13.799 when Canada declared war on Germany, no Canadian could say, well, that's just a whole pile. 00:16:13.859 --> 00:16:16.500 That's just a small number of white guys who made that decision. 00:16:18.119 --> 00:16:19.039 Canada was at war. 00:16:19.219 --> 00:16:21.000 On one level, we have a bit of a sense of it. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:25.559 And that's what the Bible teaches, that we have a covenant head. 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:29.039 That's how humanity is built, to have a covenant head. 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:30.759 And his name was Adam. 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:37.080 And when he acted in rebellion against God, let's look at verse 12 again. 00:16:37.179 --> 00:16:40.120 Therefore, just as sin came into the world, how? 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:41.059 Through one man. 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:42.100 Why through one man? 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:44.860 I couldn't do it, you know. 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:46.779 Daniel couldn't do it. 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:48.580 Amy couldn't do it. 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:49.799 Pierre couldn't do it. 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:51.219 Like, we wouldn't kneel. 00:16:51.319 --> 00:16:52.479 We don't have that standing. 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:54.199 But humanity has a covenant head. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:54.979 His name is Adam. 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:59.699 And when that one, as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, 00:17:00.719 --> 00:17:05.139 and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:11.720 And at the level of the original language, with the verbal tenses of one man and then the plural, 00:17:11.879 --> 00:17:17.319 it's an extremely, extremely awkward sense that doesn't really make grammatical, 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.720 it's not the normal way grammar would work. 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:26.599 So Paul has made a specific point, bending grammar in the original language to emphasize one man, 00:17:27.099 --> 00:17:31.639 one act in the past, currently and into the future, affecting all. 00:17:31.919 --> 00:17:34.859 The singular and the plural, the past and the present and the future. 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:39.859 In the original language, it's even more stark because we have a covenant head. 00:17:39.859 --> 00:17:43.659 Now, some of us might think there's all sorts of things that might go through our head. 00:17:43.719 --> 00:17:50.719 But at the end of the day, what the Bible is saying is that this is unbelievably huge, big news. 00:17:51.179 --> 00:17:52.059 Good news. 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:53.359 Why is it? 00:17:53.359 --> 00:18:04.439 Because we can say, God, is it possible, given that we have so messed up that I am a sinner, 00:18:04.919 --> 00:18:09.439 that I, there is no way that I can not, I can't undo that. 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:10.559 I can't. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:13.559 Can you provide another covenant head? 00:18:15.939 --> 00:18:21.339 Whose life and death, because of the way human beings are designed, 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:22.799 can you provide another one? 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:28.779 Father, in your grace and mercy, can you provide a second one? 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:30.859 Next point. 00:18:33.159 --> 00:18:38.279 By his grace, God provided a second covenant head, and his name is Jesus Christ. 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:48.179 By his grace, God provided a second covenant head, and his name is Jesus Christ. 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:55.759 And just as with that first Adam, who desired to be like God, and so rebelled against God, 00:18:55.820 --> 00:19:03.920 and every human being linked to that first Adam was implicated and involved in that act, 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:09.220 so it is possible that God, who's designed human beings that way, could provide a second Adam, 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:20.039 a true and greater Adam, whose life and death can stand for me. 00:19:21.100 --> 00:19:22.960 Could you put up the next point, please? 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:24.819 I hope I haven't got this. 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:25.500 Yeah, I do this. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:32.019 I have jumped ahead a little bit, but by his grace, God provided a second covenant head, 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:33.019 his name is Jesus Christ. 00:19:33.019 --> 00:19:36.859 So with that in mind, let's read the text from verse 12 on. 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.079 With those, and with this in the background, now you're going to make, 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:43.839 this text is going to all of a sudden begin to make some sense to you. 00:19:44.059 --> 00:19:46.559 And it is unbelievable good news. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:48.619 Let's go to verse 12 again. 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:53.259 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.799 and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:57.339 Right? 00:19:57.440 --> 00:19:57.579 Why? 00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:59.359 Because Adam is our covenant head. 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:04.319 For sin, verse 13, indeed was in the world before the law was given, 00:20:05.099 --> 00:20:07.599 but sin is not counted where there is no law. 00:20:07.679 --> 00:20:08.960 Now, this is a bit confusing. 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:12.599 So just going to pause there for a second. 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:17.319 If you go back, Paul wrote this as a letter, and in Romans chapter 2, 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:22.960 he shows why it is that even people who do not know God's commands directly, 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:26.480 that God can still justly judge them. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.620 And if you go down to verse 20 and 21, 00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:36.240 now the law came in, that's God's word, right? 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:42.099 The law came in, sorry, now the law came in to increase the trespass, 00:20:42.380 --> 00:20:44.279 but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:45.519 So what's going on here? 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:48.339 What he's saying basically is this, because you see, 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:53.640 what's one of the main things that all human beings think we need to deal with sin? 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:56.500 Better advice. 00:20:57.600 --> 00:20:58.960 Better rules. 00:20:59.340 --> 00:21:00.620 Better knowledge. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.100 Better willpower. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.200 That's behind all religion, all spirituality, and all irreligion. 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:11.400 It's going to look different if you're doing yoga. 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:15.559 It's going to look different if you're in Thailand practicing Buddhism. 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:20.059 It's going to look different if you are in Canada practicing religion. 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.819 It's going to look different in different parts of the world. 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:27.460 But the fundamental idea is if we just had better rules, 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:30.340 if we just had better rituals to follow, 00:21:30.860 --> 00:21:35.620 if we just had a method of being centered so my willpower is stronger, 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:40.000 if we just had a way by which our mind could have a bit of a higher IQ, 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:42.519 then, and the Bible is saying, 00:21:42.620 --> 00:21:43.819 whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:46.500 It doesn't work. 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:48.720 It just doesn't work. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:48.779 It doesn't work. 00:21:50.860 --> 00:21:55.380 So it's like saying before they understood germs, 00:21:56.660 --> 00:22:01.039 that germs existed, people still died, right? 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:04.980 But what happened when they understood that germs exist? 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:06.440 Well, they start to take, you know, 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:08.759 if you're dealing now with a cut or something, 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.660 or in public sanitation, 00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:12.600 they started to get ways to deal with germs. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:15.180 But what happens is we learn more and more and more about germs. 00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:19.820 We just find more and more different ways that things pass from us to other people that kills them. 00:22:22.620 --> 00:22:25.000 And then even if you deal with every germ, death still happens. 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:26.660 You see, all that the sin does, 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:30.160 all that the knowledge of germs does is help us to understand a process. 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:33.380 It doesn't help us to necessarily defeat death. 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:33.700 It does. 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:40.320 And all God's perfect rules do is make us more and more aware of the different ways that we sin 00:22:40.320 --> 00:22:41.940 that we never even dreamed of before. 00:22:42.820 --> 00:22:44.019 That's what the text is saying. 00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:45.519 Go back to here. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.379 Verse 14. 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:50.559 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, 00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:54.480 even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:58.480 because Adam transgressed a direct command of God that he knew came from God, 00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:01.339 who was a type of the one to come, 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:04.279 a true and greater Adam, 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:07.680 a second Adam to the fight, as the hymn puts it. 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:10.240 But, verse 15, 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:13.220 the free gift is not like the trespass. 00:23:13.220 --> 00:23:15.900 So how is it going to describe what the second Adam does? 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.660 The second Adam's action is described as a free gift, 00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:21.799 completely and utterly undeserved, 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:23.400 no strings attached, 00:23:23.600 --> 00:23:25.160 not because we are worthy, 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:30.980 but purely and utterly because of the generosity and the love and the compassion of the giver. 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:34.720 But the free gift is not like the trespass. 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:36.039 Why? 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:40.660 Well, if many died through the one man's trespass through Adam, 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:43.700 much more have the grace of God and the free gift. 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:45.480 By the grace of that one man, 00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:46.180 Jesus Christ, 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:47.140 abounded for many. 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:50.259 The word grace in the book of Romans, 00:23:50.820 --> 00:23:55.180 it tries to communicate to us both unmerited favor 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:57.820 that is perfectly just 00:23:57.820 --> 00:24:00.120 and comes from God 00:24:00.120 --> 00:24:02.380 and has power to change. 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:05.860 That's what grace is describing. 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:08.520 Unmerited love and mercy and favor 00:24:08.520 --> 00:24:09.980 that's perfectly just, 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:11.700 that comes from God 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:13.500 and has the power to change. 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:16.019 And then look at verse 15. 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:16.900 And the free gift, 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:17.339 once again, 00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:19.279 is describing what the second Adam does. 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.900 We don't understand the second Adam 00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:21.859 unless we understand 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:25.019 that God didn't have to provide a second Adam, 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:25.599 but he did. 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:27.920 And he did it not because I'm so beautiful, 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:28.920 I'm so wonderful. 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:31.880 No, he did it because he's love. 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:34.779 He did it out of generosity, 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:35.599 out of freedom. 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.059 And the free gift is not like the result 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:39.799 of that one man's sin, Adam. 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:43.299 For the judgment following one trespass 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:44.500 brought condemnation. 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:45.419 And here we don't mean 00:24:45.419 --> 00:24:47.240 condemning people in a bad sense. 00:24:47.339 --> 00:24:48.519 It's a legal term. 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:50.799 As if, you know, 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:52.460 they bring somebody, 00:24:52.659 --> 00:24:54.220 has charges brought against you 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:55.399 and the evidence is heard. 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:56.700 And when the evidence is heard, 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:58.419 there's a pronouncement of guilty 00:24:58.419 --> 00:25:00.339 because you really did it. 00:25:00.899 --> 00:25:02.539 That's what condemnation means here. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.539 But the free gift following many trespasses 00:25:05.539 --> 00:25:06.419 brought justification. 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:08.480 This is such a powerful idea. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.539 The idea in the original language is 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:13.639 imagine that out of Adam's single act, 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:16.700 it's like maybe a small snowball 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:17.859 at the beginning of a, 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:19.879 you make a snowball at the top of a mountain 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:20.680 where there's snow. 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:23.099 And a little kid just makes a little tiny snowball 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:24.759 and starts to roll the snowball down. 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:26.740 And as the snowball rolls down, 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:28.639 it gets bigger and bigger and bigger. 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:29.539 And before you know it, 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:30.659 there's an avalanche. 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:33.659 And the image is that in this avalanche 00:25:33.659 --> 00:25:35.480 of history that has been coming 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:36.879 for thousands of years, 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:38.720 in the midst of that avalanche 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.240 comes a Jesus Christ 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.120 who stands in the middle 00:25:42.120 --> 00:25:44.380 of the avalanche 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:45.360 and he stands there 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:46.780 and all who are behind him 00:25:46.780 --> 00:25:49.240 and in him the snow passes by. 00:25:51.080 --> 00:25:54.460 In an avalanche of rebellions against God. 00:25:55.300 --> 00:25:56.820 That's what Jesus sees 00:25:56.820 --> 00:25:58.540 when he's at the Father's throne. 00:25:59.080 --> 00:26:01.100 And he knows that when he's going to go to earth, 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:03.160 he's going to live and be rejected 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:04.620 and die upon the cross. 00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:07.000 And when we see the cross of Christ, 00:26:07.159 --> 00:26:08.859 Jesus dying upon the cross, 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:11.119 we see that Jesus, 00:26:11.399 --> 00:26:13.399 that great act of righteousness, 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:16.799 plunged as the avalanche is coming 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:18.639 and it plunged right there 00:26:18.639 --> 00:26:19.759 and it is unmovable 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:23.500 and all who stand behind and in the cross, 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:26.159 the avalanche goes around. 00:26:32.159 --> 00:26:33.199 Verse 17. 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:37.399 For if because of one man's trespass, 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:40.659 death reigned through that one man, 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:43.679 much more will those who receive 00:26:43.679 --> 00:26:45.019 the abundance of grace 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:48.579 and the free gift of righteousness 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:50.039 reign in life 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:51.439 through the one man, Jesus Christ. 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:52.019 Now, by the way, 00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:53.739 the word righteousness here, 00:26:53.939 --> 00:26:55.919 it's about God making us righteous. 00:26:56.199 --> 00:26:58.259 It's the idea is of making right. 00:26:58.799 --> 00:26:58.959 Okay? 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:02.579 You know, making right. 00:27:03.579 --> 00:27:05.559 It's like a manager in a store 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:11.960 and she understands that maybe the staff have screwed up, 00:27:12.100 --> 00:27:14.680 that the people are really, really unhappy 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:15.840 at the way they've been treated, 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.140 that the bill's wrong, 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:18.680 the food was crappy, etc. 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:19.460 And the manager, 00:27:19.840 --> 00:27:21.940 she knows she has to go and make it right. 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:25.120 Just make it right. 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:29.759 And that's the idea here, 00:27:29.820 --> 00:27:32.580 that God, in a way which is perfectly just, 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:34.059 out of his love for us, 00:27:34.620 --> 00:27:37.120 comes to make it right 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:39.059 because we can't make it right ourselves. 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.460 And it's very interesting here. 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:42.660 Look at verse 17. 00:27:42.820 --> 00:27:44.400 For if because of one man's trespass, 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:46.559 death reigned through that one man. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.639 Friends, I want to tell you this. 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:52.720 Sin and death enslave us. 00:27:55.879 --> 00:27:57.059 When we sin, 00:27:57.799 --> 00:28:01.720 we are training to be better slaves to sin. 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:11.919 And we might think we're becoming more like God, 00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:14.460 but all we're doing is becoming better slaves 00:28:14.460 --> 00:28:15.879 under the reign of death. 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.279 And look at what it says here. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:20.379 But much more will those who receive 00:28:20.379 --> 00:28:22.200 the abundance of grace 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:23.720 and the free gift of righteousness, 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:24.679 God making right, 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:25.399 what is it? 00:28:25.659 --> 00:28:28.619 It doesn't all of a sudden that we serve life. 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:31.799 No, we reign in life 00:28:31.799 --> 00:28:33.399 through the one man, Jesus Christ. 00:28:35.579 --> 00:28:37.819 That rather than being slaves, 00:28:38.179 --> 00:28:44.000 God makes us princes and princesses 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.779 in the kingdom of life. 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:48.059 to rule 00:28:48.059 --> 00:28:48.079 to rule 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:50.059 under the rule of Jesus. 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:54.019 I am in Adam 00:28:54.019 --> 00:28:54.919 by biology. 00:28:55.419 --> 00:28:57.599 I can only be in Jesus Christ 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:59.059 by God's power 00:28:59.059 --> 00:29:01.059 received by faith alone. 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:04.139 You see, 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:05.679 Jesus does all of this for me. 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:07.559 He is the second Adam. 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:09.079 He is the new covenant head. 00:29:09.839 --> 00:29:10.759 God's provision 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:12.339 for human beings 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:13.159 like you and me. 00:29:13.160 --> 00:29:15.640 and all I can do, 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:17.200 I have nothing in my hands. 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:18.500 All I can do 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:19.740 is ask, 00:29:20.620 --> 00:29:23.240 I can't get in Adam 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:23.820 by my, 00:29:24.080 --> 00:29:25.320 I can't get in Jesus 00:29:25.320 --> 00:29:27.840 by my brilliant personality, 00:29:28.560 --> 00:29:29.360 my wit, 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:30.640 my smile, 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:33.040 by my rituals, 00:29:33.360 --> 00:29:34.540 by my accomplishments, 00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:36.180 by my perfect life. 00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:38.039 I can't do it. 00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:40.420 God has to take me 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:42.019 and move me 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:43.299 from being in Adam 00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:45.360 to having a new covenant head. 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:46.299 And all I can do 00:29:46.299 --> 00:29:47.500 is ask him in faith 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:50.320 that Jesus would do this. 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:55.500 And he does it. 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:58.619 He does it for the wise 00:29:58.619 --> 00:29:59.519 and for the foolish, 00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:02.059 for the high IQs 00:30:02.059 --> 00:30:03.139 and the low IQs. 00:30:03.179 --> 00:30:04.460 He does it for street people. 00:30:04.939 --> 00:30:05.779 He does it for people 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:06.740 on Parliament Hill 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:07.639 and on Bay Street. 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:10.279 But he has to do it. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:11.839 And we can only ask him 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:12.419 by faith. 00:30:14.339 --> 00:30:14.859 And you see the, 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:16.779 well, let's keep going. 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:18.039 Therefore, 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:19.379 as one man's trust, 00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:20.140 verse 18, 00:30:20.300 --> 00:30:20.560 therefore, 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.260 as one trespass, 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:22.900 remember this, 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:24.080 all within this idea 00:30:24.080 --> 00:30:24.600 of the covenant head, 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:25.960 this one trespass 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:27.180 led to condemnation 00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:27.840 for all men. 00:30:28.300 --> 00:30:29.520 So one act 00:30:29.520 --> 00:30:30.620 of making right, 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:31.460 that's righteousness, 00:30:31.840 --> 00:30:33.560 leads to being made right, 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:34.900 justification and life 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:35.880 for all 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:36.480 who are in this 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:37.360 second covenant head, 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.420 who are by God's power 00:30:40.420 --> 00:30:41.980 put into this 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:42.740 new covenant head, 00:30:42.820 --> 00:30:43.280 Jesus Christ, 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:44.080 by faith alone. 00:30:44.560 --> 00:30:45.140 Verse 19, 00:30:45.280 --> 00:30:46.600 for as by one man's 00:30:46.600 --> 00:30:47.360 disobedience, 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:48.900 the many were made sinners, 00:30:49.380 --> 00:30:50.900 so by the one man's 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:51.440 obedience, 00:30:51.620 --> 00:30:52.800 the many will be made 00:30:52.800 --> 00:30:53.720 right with God. 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:55.340 Now, just before I read 00:30:55.340 --> 00:30:56.200 these last two verses, 00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:58.260 this is unbelievably, 00:30:58.620 --> 00:30:59.920 powerfully good news. 00:31:02.020 --> 00:31:02.520 You see, 00:31:02.580 --> 00:31:03.420 the problem for most 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:04.080 of us Christians 00:31:04.080 --> 00:31:05.340 is we don't believe this. 00:31:05.420 --> 00:31:05.760 We believe, 00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:06.020 okay, 00:31:06.060 --> 00:31:07.200 I come to faith with Jesus. 00:31:07.340 --> 00:31:08.060 There's a bit of a 00:31:08.060 --> 00:31:09.340 salvation moment, 00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:10.160 a bit of a crisis. 00:31:10.520 --> 00:31:11.940 But then what really matters 00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:13.280 is how obedient I am. 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:15.799 I remember a couple 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:16.539 of years ago, 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:17.599 there was a person 00:31:17.599 --> 00:31:18.180 who used to come 00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:18.799 to this church 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:19.559 who was like a very 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:20.519 public Christian. 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:22.920 He had a very high 00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:23.599 reputation, 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:24.599 a great leader 00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:25.720 in lots of places. 00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:27.119 He came to this church 00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:27.619 for a while 00:31:27.619 --> 00:31:29.980 and came from 00:31:29.980 --> 00:31:30.700 a very godly 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:31.500 Christian family 00:31:31.500 --> 00:31:32.339 and he started 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:33.440 missing church 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:35.440 and I had a conversation 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:36.079 with him. 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.799 And the problem was 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.879 he was doing some, 00:31:41.799 --> 00:31:45.440 he was sexually 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:46.419 knowing his girlfriend 00:31:46.419 --> 00:31:49.399 and he felt like a failure. 00:31:49.539 --> 00:31:50.059 He felt like he 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:51.059 couldn't come to church. 00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:52.779 You see, 00:31:52.879 --> 00:31:53.480 why did he think 00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:54.559 he couldn't come to church? 00:31:55.799 --> 00:31:57.000 Because his relationship 00:31:57.000 --> 00:31:57.899 to God depended 00:31:57.899 --> 00:31:59.619 upon his obedience. 00:32:01.139 --> 00:32:02.119 Look what this verse 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:02.579 is saying. 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:03.440 Verse 19, 00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:04.619 for as by one man's 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:05.460 disobedience 00:32:05.460 --> 00:32:06.299 the many were made 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:06.599 sinners, 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:07.539 so by the one man's 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:08.079 obedience 00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:08.920 the many will be 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:09.500 made righteous. 00:32:10.059 --> 00:32:10.220 See, 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:12.000 Jesus does two types 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:12.879 of things for me 00:32:12.879 --> 00:32:13.519 on the cross 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:14.539 as my covenant head. 00:32:15.180 --> 00:32:16.059 On one hand, 00:32:16.139 --> 00:32:17.279 he pays the penalty 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:18.159 for my sin. 00:32:20.639 --> 00:32:22.079 He pays the penalty 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:23.379 that I could never pay 00:32:23.379 --> 00:32:25.139 for my sin. 00:32:25.139 --> 00:32:26.079 But he does 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:26.879 something else. 00:32:27.879 --> 00:32:28.700 His obedience 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:29.399 is mine. 00:32:30.399 --> 00:32:31.399 Did you hear that? 00:32:32.980 --> 00:32:35.259 His perfect obedience 00:32:35.259 --> 00:32:37.480 stands for me. 00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:39.460 Did you hear that? 00:32:40.220 --> 00:32:42.879 His perfect obedience 00:32:42.879 --> 00:32:45.460 stands for me 00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:46.379 and for you. 00:32:48.379 --> 00:32:50.920 His perfect obedience 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:53.159 stands for me 00:32:53.159 --> 00:32:54.059 and for you. 00:32:57.399 --> 00:32:57.960 You know, 00:32:58.000 --> 00:32:58.740 one way to understand 00:32:58.740 --> 00:32:59.579 what happened in the fall, 00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:00.799 it's like the idea 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:01.579 of probation. 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:02.839 When we hire somebody, 00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:03.559 we say you have 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:04.240 three months. 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:06.200 And during those 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:06.819 three months, 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:07.480 you can be, 00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:07.799 you know, 00:33:07.900 --> 00:33:08.799 you can be let go, 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:09.660 but after three months 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:10.240 you're an employee. 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:10.880 In a sense, 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:12.460 one way to understand 00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:12.980 Adam and Eve 00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:13.519 in the gardens 00:33:13.519 --> 00:33:14.480 is that there was 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:15.539 a probation period 00:33:15.539 --> 00:33:17.299 and they failed it. 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:19.000 They failed it 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:19.660 by their own 00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:20.759 willful act. 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:22.680 and Jesus keeps that 00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:24.099 probation period 00:33:24.099 --> 00:33:26.480 perfectly for me. 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:30.460 And all of a sudden, 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:32.359 all therapy, 00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:34.559 all spirituality, 00:33:35.019 --> 00:33:35.839 all religion, 00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:37.180 which is based on 00:33:37.180 --> 00:33:38.440 in some different way 00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:39.740 my ability 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:40.960 and my desire 00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:41.960 to be good 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:43.379 and to justify myself 00:33:43.380 --> 00:33:44.940 and to put God 00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:45.420 in my debt 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.260 and all of a sudden 00:33:46.260 --> 00:33:47.360 when I realize 00:33:47.360 --> 00:33:49.460 that God doesn't 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.660 even look at my obedience, 00:33:50.900 --> 00:33:51.740 he looks at Jesus' 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:53.140 obedience for me. 00:33:54.660 --> 00:33:55.680 Then all of a sudden 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:56.600 as that grips you, 00:33:56.760 --> 00:33:57.740 you're in a new land. 00:33:58.280 --> 00:33:59.160 You're in a new world. 00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:03.380 How I'm going to live 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:04.720 my life is no longer 00:34:04.720 --> 00:34:06.040 based on anxiety 00:34:06.040 --> 00:34:08.019 or self-fulfillment 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.619 or putting God 00:34:08.619 --> 00:34:09.140 in my debt. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:10.760 All of those normal 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:12.300 wellsprings of desires 00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:13.059 to do good 00:34:13.059 --> 00:34:13.860 get, 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:14.519 die. 00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:15.639 The more we are gripped 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:16.099 by this, 00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:17.820 that Jesus is my covenant 00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:18.059 head, 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:19.059 not only paid the penalty 00:34:19.059 --> 00:34:19.699 for my sin, 00:34:20.279 --> 00:34:21.239 his obedience 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:22.900 is mine. 00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:27.299 See, 00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:28.039 it's why one of the most 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:28.619 important things 00:34:28.619 --> 00:34:29.400 we can do at church 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:30.239 is week by week 00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:31.559 be reminded of the gospel. 00:34:33.079 --> 00:34:34.279 Because as the gospel 00:34:34.279 --> 00:34:35.679 begins to grip us 00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:37.059 at the level of our heart, 00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:39.139 the motivation to live 00:34:39.139 --> 00:34:41.159 completely and utterly 00:34:41.159 --> 00:34:41.900 changes. 00:34:43.059 --> 00:34:46.139 verse 20 and 21 00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:47.119 in closing. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:50.239 Now the law came in 00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:51.699 to increase the trespass. 00:34:51.779 --> 00:34:52.719 We talked about that earlier, 00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:54.860 but where sin increased, 00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:57.679 grace superabounded 00:34:57.679 --> 00:34:59.119 all the more 00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:01.239 so that as sin 00:35:01.239 --> 00:35:03.139 reigned in death, 00:35:04.279 --> 00:35:05.699 grace also 00:35:05.699 --> 00:35:06.860 might reign 00:35:06.860 --> 00:35:08.619 through righteousness. 00:35:08.619 --> 00:35:10.420 God making us 00:35:10.420 --> 00:35:11.420 right with himself, 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:12.199 God making us 00:35:12.199 --> 00:35:13.719 leading to eternal life 00:35:13.719 --> 00:35:16.579 through Jesus Christ 00:35:16.579 --> 00:35:18.519 our Lord. 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:22.320 brothers and sisters 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:23.219 who are in Christ, 00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:24.420 you need to be gripped 00:35:24.420 --> 00:35:25.420 by the gospel. 00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:28.059 You need to be gripped 00:35:28.059 --> 00:35:29.259 by this knowledge, 00:35:29.340 --> 00:35:30.480 not only that Jesus 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:32.059 paid the penalty 00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:32.699 of our sins, 00:35:32.739 --> 00:35:33.739 but that his obedience 00:35:33.739 --> 00:35:34.599 is yours 00:35:34.599 --> 00:35:36.300 as your covenant head 00:35:36.300 --> 00:35:37.519 when you, 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:38.659 by faith alone, 00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:39.800 put your faith 00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:40.599 and trust in him. 00:35:41.320 --> 00:35:42.559 And if you are here, 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:44.980 you're an atom by biology, 00:35:44.980 --> 00:35:47.679 and you've never made 00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:48.980 Jesus your covenant head, 00:35:49.539 --> 00:35:50.719 there's no time better, 00:35:51.139 --> 00:35:52.500 literally no time better 00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:53.199 than right now 00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:54.740 to call out to him 00:35:54.740 --> 00:35:56.659 that he would be 00:35:56.659 --> 00:35:57.519 your covenant head, 00:35:57.639 --> 00:35:58.699 your Savior and your Lord. 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:00.039 Please stand. 00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:10.559 Just before I pray, 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:13.380 always remember 00:36:13.380 --> 00:36:14.960 that when you're seeing Jesus' 00:36:15.240 --> 00:36:16.380 death upon the cross, 00:36:17.160 --> 00:36:18.920 that image of the cross 00:36:18.920 --> 00:36:20.099 in the midst of an avalanche, 00:36:20.140 --> 00:36:20.400 in fact, 00:36:20.440 --> 00:36:21.680 another way to understand it 00:36:21.680 --> 00:36:22.619 is in the Garden of Eden 00:36:22.619 --> 00:36:23.800 there was the tree of life, 00:36:24.200 --> 00:36:24.900 and the way to that 00:36:24.900 --> 00:36:25.539 is closed. 00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:27.079 And when you see Jesus 00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:28.180 dying upon the cross, 00:36:28.220 --> 00:36:29.539 you see the tree of life 00:36:29.539 --> 00:36:33.000 come to our fallen human world. 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:35.280 And that's why 00:36:35.280 --> 00:36:37.820 Jesus dies between two thieves, 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:38.960 one who mocks 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:40.400 and rejects Jesus, 00:36:40.579 --> 00:36:41.519 the other who begins 00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:42.200 by mocking 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:43.779 but ends by believing him. 00:36:44.199 --> 00:36:45.619 And Jesus says to him, 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:46.779 today you will be with me 00:36:46.779 --> 00:36:47.439 in paradise. 00:36:47.839 --> 00:36:49.019 And the word paradise 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:50.259 is the same word used 00:36:50.259 --> 00:36:51.699 to describe the Garden of Eden. 00:36:54.579 --> 00:36:55.699 And Jesus died 00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:57.000 between two thieves, 00:36:58.059 --> 00:36:59.659 one mocking, 00:37:00.659 --> 00:37:02.719 so we will never presume, 00:37:03.839 --> 00:37:05.879 the other having faith 00:37:05.879 --> 00:37:07.379 so that we can have hope. 00:37:07.380 --> 00:37:10.220 Let's bow our heads in prayer. 00:37:13.740 --> 00:37:14.180 Father, 00:37:14.700 --> 00:37:16.700 there is so much 00:37:16.700 --> 00:37:19.220 of a desire within us 00:37:19.220 --> 00:37:21.400 that our obedience 00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:22.680 is what really matters. 00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:24.260 Yeah, the gospel's important 00:37:24.260 --> 00:37:25.780 and the gospel gets me in church, 00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:26.800 but my obedience 00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:28.260 is what you really look for. 00:37:28.360 --> 00:37:28.940 That's what you, 00:37:29.140 --> 00:37:30.619 that's what really matters. 00:37:30.820 --> 00:37:31.059 Father, 00:37:31.300 --> 00:37:32.880 we confess before you 00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:35.160 that we have not been fully gripped 00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:36.819 by the wonder and depth 00:37:36.819 --> 00:37:37.619 of the gospel, 00:37:38.539 --> 00:37:40.179 that Jesus is the true 00:37:40.179 --> 00:37:41.199 and greater Adam, 00:37:42.339 --> 00:37:44.039 that with him 00:37:44.039 --> 00:37:45.119 is our covenant head 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:46.000 when we put our faith 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:46.779 and trust in him, 00:37:46.859 --> 00:37:48.659 that the penalty of our sins 00:37:48.659 --> 00:37:49.319 is paid for, 00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:51.019 and that his obedience, 00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:53.659 his right standing 00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:55.000 with you is ours. 00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:55.960 Father, 00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:57.179 make us disciples 00:37:57.179 --> 00:37:57.940 of Jesus 00:37:57.940 --> 00:37:58.879 who are gripped 00:37:58.879 --> 00:38:00.000 by this truth, 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:01.059 this gospel, 00:38:01.059 --> 00:38:03.480 so we can begin 00:38:03.480 --> 00:38:04.980 to live free 00:38:04.980 --> 00:38:07.659 and bring you glory. 00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:09.019 And we ask this 00:38:09.019 --> 00:38:10.039 in the precious name 00:38:10.039 --> 00:38:10.619 of Jesus 00:38:10.619 --> 00:38:12.940 and all God's people said, 00:38:13.739 --> 00:38:14.039 Amen.