Abounding Grace or the Love of Sin

Preached Sunday, May 24, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 6:1-2

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You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

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If you were to ask me what was the greatest problem in American Christianity, I would say that it lies in the church's lack of teaching of the theology behind Romans chapter 6. This lack of teaching, indeed, is what John Piper refers to as the tragedy of "healing My people lightly". If indwelling sin is indeed a reality, and if the teachings of the New Testament are true, then there is a great disparity between the teachings of the church today and the teaching of the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that there is a battle with sin that exists in the life of every Christian (Romans 7:20), and that every true Christian is actively engaged in the battle. It is a battle in which the true Christian has been uniquely given the power by the Spirit of God to win. The believer knows the theological fact that he is righteous only through the righteousness of another, but, as Spurgeon prays, "but we pant and pine for personal likeness to Thee." The disparity in teaching in the modern church comes where we do not find Christian leaders teaching on the biblical reality that there is a difference in the believer and the unbeliever…that where justification by faith is taught, leaders often skip the teaching of how every believer will see evidence of his justification, and find great assurance thereof, in his daily sanctification.

It has been said that there is little difference between the world and the church. Many surveys have been conducted, and statistics have been printed and distributed that tell the tale. It has been found by researchers that, as far as things like divorce, abortion, sexual immorality, stealing, lying, greed, abuse, outbursts of anger, etc., that there is no statistical difference between those inside the church and those outside the church. The reason for this is how the statisticians define the term "Christian." But lest we lay the blame for this at the feet of the statisticians, we must acknowledge that their definition of a Christian is no different than how much of the leadership of the modern church now defines it…..if you've been baptized, are a member of a church, or even go to a church occasionally…if you've been to church at least once in your life, or know someone that has, or live in the same city as a church, if you were dropped off at VBS as a child, and led in a coerced prayer by the pastor or evangelist…..if at least one time in your life, you knew when to say "uh, huh" when the evangelist asked you if you were a sinner and wanted to go to heaven instead of hell, then you're a Christian. Then it is [quote] "scientifically" observed that the behavior of these [quote] "Christians" is no different than those who do not profess to be Christians. In fact, in some cases, it is found that those naming the name of Christ actually are worse in their moral behavior than those who do not.

Is it true, that there is no difference between the unbelieving world and the church? If it is, then I am wasting my entire life in the study and the preaching of the Scriptures and so are you. If these things be true, that the world is just as moral (or immoral) as the church, then Christianity is a lie and Jesus was the person that he is made up to be by the Discovery channel…..just a guy who had some good teachings, but very mysterious and suspect. Is it true that the Church, the bride of Christ, has defiled herself, and is not ready for her Groom? Certainly not! If there is nothing more blasphemous coming from the mouths of men today I do not know what is. No, there IS a difference between the world and the Church. There is a difference between the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ and that hideous bride of the Devil. For the Bride of Christ is glorious, and chaste, and prepared to meet her Groom. The true Church is holy, and separate from the world. The true followers of Jesus crucify the flesh daily, and though they battle, and battle long and hard, and get cut up and shot up and wounded and broken in the battle with the sin that dwells in them, they do find victory. By the Spirit of our God they slay one Goliath after another, as David, who "….killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine [of sin] will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God….The Lord, who delivered [David] from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver [you, believer] from the hand of this Philistine [of sin]." (1 Samuel 17:36-37, NKJV)

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

Preached Sunday, April 26, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 5:12-15

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You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, (Romans 5:14, NKJV)

Death reigned….people died…between the time of Adam and Moses. The question, again, is, why did they die? Personal sinning, or something else? Paul's argument, and the argument for the Gospel, is…..they died because of something else. Their death is a symptom of a disease, and Paul sees past the superficial diagnosis, that wrong diagnosis being that death is due to personal sinning, by looking at when exactly the symptom began to manifest itself. That's the mark of a good doctor. Instead of giving a patient Tylenol for a headache, a good doctor will ask the patient to recall when he first started getting the headaches. Allergies. Food. Diabetes. Many other causes. So when the doctor and patient can come together and pinpoint when the symptoms started, they can together see what causes it, and avoid that cause, or in this case, give a cure that specifically removes the cause.

When did death begin, and under what circumstances? Death reigned from Adam to the Lawgiver…… even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam. Paul's nailing the point here…and I want you to see it! I have read over these verses hundreds of times and did not see this HUGE point….I want you to see it. Death reigned…..even in those who did not sin personally. Who are these people who did not sin personally, but died anyway? And why does it matter?

One thought was that these are the "sinless perfectionists", who deny the doctrine of Original Sin, and therefore believe that a person can live sinless. Impossible. They die. End of argument. Another is those who do not know the Law of Moses. They die too. Scripture teaches that the Law is written on their hearts. People die. All people die. Paul is getting us to see why. So what Paul is speaking of here….whom he is speaking of here…that there are those who did not have knowledge of God's commands, and died in complete innocence. They never sinned personally. Who are these people?

Scripture is clear….there are none of these people alive. No one does good…all have turned aside. So who can these people be, that paid the penalty for sin that they did not personally commit? Those in whom death reigned, but did not sin like Adam (with personal knowledge of the command)….must be babies. Infants. I agree with the Puritan commentator Matthew Henry here….the only people these can be and move Paul's argument forward and focus it like a laser…are infants who died.

Embryos do not peruse a buffet of attributes, and decide which ones they will take on and which ones they will refuse. No child has ever looked at the vast array of eye colors and said…."I think I'll have hazel eyes. Take these blue ones and give me hazel." Or, "I want to be tall, so take this short stature and let me trade it for tall." How ridiculous is that! In the same way, no embryo has the ability to choose a sinless nature. They are created like their father, Adam, conceived with the penalty of death being standard equipment. It is not an option…..

They did not commit sin, because they did not have the capacity to know a Law to sin against….but they died. They did not die because of personal sinning, but of something much deeper than that….sin was imputed to them….by their union with Adam. They died because sin was imputed to them by the one man….Adam….who is a type of Him who was to come. (Romans 5:14, NKJV)

Then Paul gives us some strange words here….Adam was a type, or a pattern, or figure. He was like Christ in some way that Paul is teaching us here. How so? In Adam, through this one man, sin, and death through sin, was IMPUTED to us. This was given to all people without exception, by virtue of our being in Adam. It was given to all who are IN ADAM. Given without our assent, but sovereignly, by God. All who are in Adam….die. And Adam is said to be a pattern…a type….of Christ. Read on…. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (Romans 5:15, NKJV)

There is more in this verse that we will be able to tackle today, but I will use it to conclude the argument Paul is making in our time together this morning. Adam is a type Christ, in that through this one man, what was Adam's (sin) was imputed to all people who are
in him….which is all people. He is like Christ in that way…that all who are in Him receive something freely, and without choice. Even infants, the most helpless of all, who have no choice to make good or bad, receive what Adam has given them. And Christ gives freely in the same way. In that all who are in Him receive freely what is Christ's alone…..to the most helpless of all creatures, unable to do anything for righteousness sake…..all who are in Him receive the free gift of His righteousness, not by our own will or decision, but by the free mercy and predetermined will of our God.

God used one man, Adam, that sin and death would enter all that are in him, not by anything that we have done, but by virtue of our being in Adam…..so that He could use One Man, that sin and death would be defeated, in all that are in Him….not by anything that we have done, but by virtue of our being in Him….Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

This is an amazing truth that could never be conceived by mortal man. It is far too glorious to be man's invention. Well does the Scripture say, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9, NKJV).

Sermon for May 4, 2009

Preached May 4, 2009, by Chase Ostrander

2 Samuel 24

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