It's like in the Olympics when talking about Australia, you can say “we are good at swimming”. And the “we” we are talking about really means some genetically perfected person who has trained for their entire life to swim really fast. Not really meaning us in this room. But somehow our Olympians represent us.
In our passage today, we have two representatives for us. These two representatives cover the entire world. You are either under one or the other. There is Adam, and there is Jesus.
In our passage today, we have two representatives for us. These two representatives cover the entire world. You are either under one or the other. There is Adam, and there is Jesus.
Adam
Through Adam, sin entered the world, and the punishment for sin is death. From Adam to Moses, all people died, even though this was before the law and the 10 Commandments. It was because of Adam’s disobedience that death was ruling and had power over this world.And this may sound harsh, but everyone dies because Adam brought sin into this world. You, your mum, everyone you love and everyone you don’t, are all going to die, and this is because of Adam’s disobedience.
And you can feel like this was unfair; I didn’t vote for Adam to be my representative. And you can have your complaint. However, we need to remember that it was God who elected Adam as our representative.
Do you have a better idea of how to elect a representative? Is our democratic representative system really the best way to find the best representative? Would Scott Morrison or a cricketer be a better representative for us? Could you have chosen better than God? And remember, God didn’t just choose Adam; He made Him perfect to be our representative.
But Adam did sin, and this has sent out a massive ripple effect to everyone of us. We now have this family trait of sin that means we are ruled by death. It is in our nature. And if you don’t think Adam’s actions affect you, then try this: be good and don’t die.
Down here, do you guys have a problem with bogon moths? I heard this story (from Sam Chan) of a shared house that would have bogon moth games. One game would involve holding one in your hand and then turning all the lights off in the house except for the one at the end of the hall. You would let your one go, and the fastest moth to the light wins. Moths are funny; they are attracted to light, but once they get there, they hit their head, thud, and then go "ouch, my head", and then fly into the light again. Thud, thud, thud. They keep bashing their head into a light, because it is in their nature to do that. We keep bashing into sin, because that is in our nature. We keep going back to it over and over again. Sin, sin sin. This comes from Adam’s disobedience.
Jesus
But we are told in the passage that there was another representative that you also didn’t vote for, who was Jesus. If we are upset about the unfairness of Adam as our representative, to be consistent, we should be upset about the unfairness of Jesus as our representative. Both were chosen by God and not us.So again, what does this say about God and His character and wisdom? God the Father provided Jesus, who was the perfect man, who was provided as a gift for us, to rescue us from our disobedience, disconnection and death.
Yes, we are affected by Adam, but we can also be affected by the gift of Jesus.
Yes, we are affected by Adam, but we can also be affected by the gift of Jesus.
Through the sin of one man, Adam, came death. But through the death of one man, Jesus, comes life.
One brought sin into this world by taking from a tree; the other took our sins away by dying on a tree.
Jesus came as our representative, and His wins can become our wins.
In verse 15, we are told
Jesus came as our representative, and His wins can become our wins.
In verse 15, we are told
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! (Romans 5:15 NIV)Jesus is a gift that overflows to others.
Adam’s action of sin means that many die, but the grace of Jesus overflows to the many.
So the key question is, whose family are you in? Who is at the top of your family tree? The one with Adam at the top of the glass, or the one with Jesus as the top glass?
And notice that the word "gift" is mentioned twice here. Jesus is a gift that not everyone in Adam will take. It is up to you to choose who you want as your representative.
Salvation is a gift from God. This means we can not claim that we were smart enough, or moral enough or took the right steps forward to meet God halfway for us to be saved. It is all of Him. Only by trusting in the work that Jesus did for us are we saved. This is not earned. Faith doesn’t earn our salvation, but accepts our salvation.
We are like a homeless beggar on the street, and someone offers us a hamburger from the shops. We didn’t earn it, we didn’t pay for it, all we have to do is extend our hand and take it. We just have to accept the burger knowing we didn’t earn it or pay for it, someone else did that for us. That is the faith we have in Jesus. Trusting in his work and not our own.
Which family are you in? The condemned one or the justified one? How could you tell? Are you anxiously preparing your defence for when you go to meet God, the perfect judge? Are you currently trying to put in your community service hours thinking that will offset your coming punishment? Or are you fine, sleeping easy, knowing you are innocent, knowing that someone has already argued your case, and paid your debt for you?
Do you have anxiety or peace based on who your representative is?
As Protestants, we like to say that we aren’t saved by works, but I think verse 19 says the opposite.
Our passage is all about Adam’s actions and Jesus’ actions, and the effect that has on us. The Gospel is that we can be made right before God, not because of anything we can do, but because of what Jesus can do. Jesus’ actions have undone Adam’s actions. Jesus can bring us back to God, back to how it was intended before Adam sinned.
My mother is Australian. Someone on her side of the family traced our family tree back to a guy who came on the Third Fleet as a convict. Someone in my past committed a crime in England, and so because of their actions, my family tree got relocated to Australia. Their crime has affected my identity. I am now Australian.
Now that I am Australian, visa and passport laws are complicated. I can’t just go back to England and immediately claim citizenship. I’m too far down the chain to claim citizenship of England. The crimes my family made in the past have separated me from my original heritage.
And this is like all of us. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, broke God's rule, and their sin has affected all of their children, which includes us. Because of their rebellion, and our imitation of them in our own rebellion, we are no longer in a right relationship with God. God is just and fair, and we have broken His rules, so we are deserving of punishment.
And so, to undo this separation problem, we need an external person's help to make things right for us.
In 2008, I married an English woman. Through our marriage, because of who my wife is, I can more easily become a citizen of England. And my kids automatically are British citizens. My wife is from that land, and so I can return to the place of my ancestors, not because of my family tree, but because of hers.
For us to come back to God, we need Jesus. We can not be citizens under God by ourselves. We need Him and His heritage to get us back. Jesus came as a King to bring us back into His kingdom. Jesus came to draw people from every nation to Himself, to make a new people group, so we can go back to God. It is only through Jesus that we can get into God’s kingdom.
About a month or so ago now, I got a new replacement bank card because the last one expired. I don’t know if you experience this at the till, but there is a moment when you use the card, and it takes ages to process. It probably really only takes a second, but there is this moment of doubt where you think, is it going to work? I’m holding up the line? What will I do if this gets declined? I have no cash on me. See, the problem with bank cards is that you don’t see the physical money transfer. What you're waiting for is the screen to say “Approved”, to say that everything has worked.
Sometimes I think we are living in this moment when we tap with God, hoping that our sins are forgiven, for we can’t see our sins or how they were transferred to Jesus. How can we really know that the sin transaction was successful? Well, Jesus provided the receipt when he walked out of the tomb. Jesus says it was accepted when He rose again.
Jesus beat death once and now lives forever, and we get His wins.
So when we struggle with doubt, don’t look within yourself and try and conjure up more faith somehow. Like, if only you believed even harder, you would be more confident or certain in your faith. Don’t look within. Don’t put your faith in your own faith. "It is not how hard we believe, but the One in whom we believe, that makes us right with God." (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year A, Volume 3 Pastoral Perspective)
Look to Jesus, His death and resurrection, for He has made you right. Look back to the empty tomb and be reminded that our God is a life-giver and a promise keeper.
When you feel like you are despairing about the things you have done. About things you don’t want to tell anyone else in this room about. “When Satan tempts you to despair and tells you of your guilt within.” Don’t look inward for a defence. Don’t put your faith in yourself. Look to Jesus and His resurrection, for He has made you right. He is your representative.
The resurrection is the public press conference that sets the record straight. That is when God looks at you, He sees the perfection of Jesus. He says, “I see no fault in you. With you, I am well pleased.”
If Jesus is your representative and not Adam, if you have accepted Jesus as a gift, there is no one who can condemn us. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, or anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
We are like a homeless beggar on the street, and someone offers us a hamburger from the shops. We didn’t earn it, we didn’t pay for it, all we have to do is extend our hand and take it. We just have to accept the burger knowing we didn’t earn it or pay for it, someone else did that for us. That is the faith we have in Jesus. Trusting in his work and not our own.
Which family are you in? The condemned one or the justified one? How could you tell? Are you anxiously preparing your defence for when you go to meet God, the perfect judge? Are you currently trying to put in your community service hours thinking that will offset your coming punishment? Or are you fine, sleeping easy, knowing you are innocent, knowing that someone has already argued your case, and paid your debt for you?
Do you have anxiety or peace based on who your representative is?
As Protestants, we like to say that we aren’t saved by works, but I think verse 19 says the opposite.
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. (Romans 5:19 NIV)We are saved by works, just not our own works. Because of Adam’s disobedience, we are all made sinners, but because of Jesus’ work, because of His obedience, many are right with God.
Our passage is all about Adam’s actions and Jesus’ actions, and the effect that has on us. The Gospel is that we can be made right before God, not because of anything we can do, but because of what Jesus can do. Jesus’ actions have undone Adam’s actions. Jesus can bring us back to God, back to how it was intended before Adam sinned.
Back
Now that I am Australian, visa and passport laws are complicated. I can’t just go back to England and immediately claim citizenship. I’m too far down the chain to claim citizenship of England. The crimes my family made in the past have separated me from my original heritage.
And this is like all of us. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, broke God's rule, and their sin has affected all of their children, which includes us. Because of their rebellion, and our imitation of them in our own rebellion, we are no longer in a right relationship with God. God is just and fair, and we have broken His rules, so we are deserving of punishment.
And so, to undo this separation problem, we need an external person's help to make things right for us.
In 2008, I married an English woman. Through our marriage, because of who my wife is, I can more easily become a citizen of England. And my kids automatically are British citizens. My wife is from that land, and so I can return to the place of my ancestors, not because of my family tree, but because of hers.
For us to come back to God, we need Jesus. We can not be citizens under God by ourselves. We need Him and His heritage to get us back. Jesus came as a King to bring us back into His kingdom. Jesus came to draw people from every nation to Himself, to make a new people group, so we can go back to God. It is only through Jesus that we can get into God’s kingdom.
Life
The next chapter in Romans goes on to say why this is so good news. If we are united to Christ in His death, we are also united to Him in His resurrected life.Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (Romans 6:8–10 NIV)We are connected to Christ now in death and in life.
Sometimes I think we are living in this moment when we tap with God, hoping that our sins are forgiven, for we can’t see our sins or how they were transferred to Jesus. How can we really know that the sin transaction was successful? Well, Jesus provided the receipt when he walked out of the tomb. Jesus says it was accepted when He rose again.
Jesus beat death once and now lives forever, and we get His wins.
So when we struggle with doubt, don’t look within yourself and try and conjure up more faith somehow. Like, if only you believed even harder, you would be more confident or certain in your faith. Don’t look within. Don’t put your faith in your own faith. "It is not how hard we believe, but the One in whom we believe, that makes us right with God." (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year A, Volume 3 Pastoral Perspective)
Look to Jesus, His death and resurrection, for He has made you right. Look back to the empty tomb and be reminded that our God is a life-giver and a promise keeper.
When you feel like you are despairing about the things you have done. About things you don’t want to tell anyone else in this room about. “When Satan tempts you to despair and tells you of your guilt within.” Don’t look inward for a defence. Don’t put your faith in yourself. Look to Jesus and His resurrection, for He has made you right. He is your representative.
The resurrection is the public press conference that sets the record straight. That is when God looks at you, He sees the perfection of Jesus. He says, “I see no fault in you. With you, I am well pleased.”
If Jesus is your representative and not Adam, if you have accepted Jesus as a gift, there is no one who can condemn us. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, or anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
Heavenly Father,Thank you for your gift of Jesus, who has overcome the effects of sin.We thank you that because of his obedience, we can be seen as right and have eternal life with you.May our choices be evident to others,help us to live and speak for you in whatever we do. Amen.
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