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.
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.
Romans chapter 5, which is on page 1132.
So Genesis 1, starting at verse 26.
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.
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.
Fill the earth and subdue it.
Now go to chapter 2, verse 15 of Genesis.
Chapter 2, verse 15.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Well, please keep your Bibles open.
Romans chapter 5,
and we'll look at this passage together.
Let's pray.
There is so much that is familiar about what we are doing.
We come here each week.
We sit with our Bibles open and we listen.
There's so much that we know from the Bible.
There's things that we've read before.
And so our prayer, Father,
is that you would guard us
against familiarity.
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.
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.
The life that we can have today
and the life that is to come.
So please change us, we ask.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, tracing your family's ancestry
has become quite a popular pastime.
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.
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.
Descendants of King Kenneth McAlpine,
apparently.
We were sheriffs of Inverness
in the 13th century.
Strong supporters of Wallace.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And what we find
is an inescapable likeness.
Look at verse 12,
chapter 5.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Likewise,
my poor son
has inherited
my sinful nature,
but he's still responsible
for his actions.
Look at the beginning of verse 19.
For just as through the disobedience
of the one man,
the many or all people
were made sinners.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For before the law was given,
sin was in the world.
But sin is not taken into account
where there is no law.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We are all
natural born sinners.
Now this likeness
brings about
terrifying results.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
we see it all
around us.
The world is
terribly broken.
But we can't
keep pointing back
to Adam and blame
him.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
And it
spreads
throughout
history
causing
widespread
devastation.
But the
point here
is that
Jesus Christ
came and
intervened.
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.
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.
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.
It
overflows and
spills out
into the
lives of
many,
bringing with
it life.
verse 16.
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.
the river
in Brisbane
has overflowed
causing chaos
and destruction.
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.
And it's
like he
stands before
all mankind
as the
barrier.
The one who
absorbs the
torrent of
destruction of
our sin.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This change,
this transformation,
it's all down
to God's
amazing grace.
Yes,
sin is
serious.
Sin is
devastating.
Sin is
destructive.
But God's
grace is
superior and
greater.
Look at the
second part of
verse 20.
Where sin
increased,
grace
increased all
the more.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If somebody
says they
are too
far gone,
they haven't
really understood
the measure
and the
abundance of
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?
We're
transformed from
the Adams
family,
literally,
and transferred
into Christ's
family.
He owns
us, we
belong to
Him.
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.
Since we
come into
Christ,
this family
is where
grace reigns.
Grace is to
be the
family motto.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Look at the
size of the
hall.
The majority
of it is
empty.
Remember
what it
said,
verse 15.
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.
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.
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.
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.
God's grace is
so much greater
than sin,
so much more
powerful.
And when we
have grasped
grace, sin
will no longer
reign, but we
will reign in
life.
Let's pray
together.
Amen.