Rescued From Eternal Death

In the garden of Eden and infection entered the human race. It soon spread to every last one of us. The infection is sin, which means missing the mark of God's standards. Whether our sins are big or small the outcome is the same. An eternity of separation from God today. A short history of sin and what God did to save us from its penalty from Chicago. We welcome you to The Moody Church. Our weekly service of worship and teaching under the ministry of Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Today we continue a series on rescued what God did to save us after our worship music.

Dr. Luther will turn to Romans chapter 5 verse 12 to speak on why believers have been rescued from eternal death. Pastor Lutzer comes now to open our service of worship. When you join me as we pray together and as we prepare our hearts to worship the Lord our God, and so fathered.

We thank you today that Jesus Christ has come in that he is coming again, help us during this time to bless others and we ask that these moments shall be especially set aside that our attention that our hearts would be riveted upon you that we might worship you in spirit and in truth. We ask in Jesus name, amen. You know the black death, which is sometimes called the bubonic plague began in China in about 1334 and then it spread to India came to Russia and finally Europe. One out of four Europeans died 16 million people died and it was a terrible way to die. Your throat swelled up. You had black blotches all over, and eventually had a very high fever and a few days later you died 60 million people. But there is an epidemic of plague, if you please. That is far worse than that. That has come to the human race. There is a play that involves 5 billion people and they all have it and 5 billion people have this plague upon them and in their case in evitable.

He in every instance is terminal.

Of course, I'm referring to the whole problem of sin, which has in acted the human race in the plague that it brings upon us, and today we're going to be looking at such things as Original Sin were going to be talking about sin and grace and at the end of this message.

I hope that you are ready to sing amazing Grace in a way that you've not sung because will understand not only the doctrine of sin.

But the doctrine of grace some people have said that Romans chapter 5 and that's the passage that I'm in today.

Romans chapter 5 beginning at verse 12 and that's on page 942.

If for some strange reason, you forgot to bring your Bible to church.

Some people have said that this is one of the most difficult passages in the book of Romans.

It said general teaching is very clear even though there are some phrases that Paul uses that could give us some time and some time to think about and to give us some pause, but today were going to just hop into the deep end of the swimming pool want you to pay attention as you shut off your cell phones or pagers. Your fax machines and all the other gadgets that we bring with us wherever we go. Today I let simply concentrate on what God has said, and in the process were going to receive blessed enlightenment. Romans chapter 5 and nine beginning at verse 12 therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted.

Where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam was a type of the one who is to come.

First of all let's get clear that Adam's sin is our sin. What happened in the garden was simply this.

Adam opened the door and sin came into the world, you'll notice that Paul doesn't say that as a result of Adam's sin came into existence. He doesn't say that because sin was previously in existence because of Satan, but because of Adam's sin entered into the world. Adam opened the door. Sin came in and then it's twin that always accompanies it. Also entered and that is death, and you had the universality of the human race that you might stabilize. Adam blamed for this. Wasn't it Eve who participated and took of the fruit. Yes, it was even. But remember, number one, she was supposed to be a helper to Adam and he was given ultimate responsibility for her and for the creation and number two it does say you know in first Timothy chapter 2 that he was genuinely deceived when the serpent came to her. She actually thought that the serpents revelation superseded the revelation of God. Adam was not deceived. He ate knowingly it was a specific act of disobedience.

Now what happened as a result of this sin is, of course you know the story. Suddenly, there was blaming there was hiding.

Cain kills Abel and the whole dysfunctional family of the human race.

All has its beginning right there. But in addition to that they died. God says in the day that you each of their robbing. You shall surely die.

Now they died spiritually, immediately, they were cut off from God and managing God coming to them and we don't know what form God came to them. But the Scripture says that they walked with God in the cool of the day. Imagine that having a chat with God. But after they sinned, they were expelled from the garden fellowship with God was cut off. It would be eventually restored. But they ended up spiritually dead.

Now, in addition to that, physically, they began to die right away.

Now that took a little while they lived in number of years number of years that we consider to be a large number of years, but the process of death had been done. It's relentless journey and adamant even died. Now you'll notice what the apostle Paul says is true.

One man sin entered into the world, and death by sin for all sin. In Greek the tense is what is known as an Aris that means at a point in time. All sinned in Adam and them. You'll notice it goes on and it says the very same thing. Verse 16 and the free gift is not like the result of one man sin for the judgment following one man's trespass brought condemnation over and over again.

You can see the word one here through one man sin entered through one man death entered the human race and people die.

The Black death did not increase the number of people who died they would have to die anyway. What it did is it speeded up the process, but death is inevitable. As CS Lewis is fond apparently of saying this to statistics on death are very impressive. It's one on one talk to my mother yesterday evening as I do every Saturday. I was amazed at how strong her voice is, but she's a longing for heaven and longing for debt today.

By the way, today is our 103rd birthday and so I assured her based on Romans chapter 5 that she would someday die even though she thinks that God has misplaced her address but eventually it would have my mother's a very generous person but also yesterday I heard of a very wealthy person who died and was very very stingy with his money. What a way to go over that story of the man who is very wealthy and just love money and absolutely insisted that he be buried with all of it.

He made his wife promise over and over again that in the casket, he was to die with all of his money and eventually he died in as the casket was being closed. She took an envelope and she slipped it into the casket and her friends said are you going to keep your promise.

You promised over and over again that you're going to have all of his money buried with him and she said absolutely. I'm keeping my promise. She said in the envelope is a check for all of it. I really I think that was a very wise woman. Now when the apostle Paul goes on and this is one of those can sing verses that we won't spend a lot of time on he says in verse 14, yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even those who had sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, here's what's going on in the text. Paul is saying that Adam was given a very specific command.

Do not eat and then after that you do not have the law given negative revelations to Abraham and so forth. But the law came with Moses and it increased sin, because now people had more knowledge.

So what Paul is saying is death reigned even from Adam to Moses, even though they didn't have the 10 Commandments death still reigned. Even though their sin was not as great as it would've been if they had had the 10 Commandments.

Bottom line, what Paul is saying is the reason that people die is because they were in Adam when he sinned, and the Scripture says that in Adam all die. Can I just digressed on a subject that Paul doesn't deal with here and that his infant salvation and the salvation of children.

I'm thinking of this because yesterday on the news I heard a terrible tragedy that I will not relate to you except to say that a little four-year-old boy did not die of natural causes. He was put to death in a horrid way it so difficult for me to get my mind around that. I don't even like to think of what that little boy was thinking before he died so viciously. My only consolation is, I believe that he is in heaven today, beholding the face of his heavenly father. But we have to ask ourselves the question, how can children be saved since they are born under condemnation also. That's why they die. Infants die because they are born under the condemnation of Adam sin and the word condemnation occurs, a number of times here. Verse 16. Later on in another verse, verse 18 it talks about the condemnation that passes to all people. Why are they saved the only explanation we can give is that God takes them out of Adam and puts them into Jesus Christ because they have not yet had an opportunity to be morally responsible and so God does that.

And we don't know when the age of accountability is people ask when is the age of accountability. The Bible doesn't speak to it and very wisely so, because after all, that age may vary from person to person their people who perhaps are mentally impaired and they never really attain to any kind of culpability or knowledge. And so God will deal with each differently and we must leave it with him, but I've no doubt based on other scriptures that children who die go to be with the Lord even though they are born as sinners. Now I have to deal with a question that is in your mind should be in your mind.

If you're following this in the question is this, is it really fair that we should be considered to be guilty for Adam's sin that we are born guilty, let me answer that question by reflecting a little bit we could look at it legally and say that yes there are times when let's suppose that you were born into a family with much debt. Well, you know, born into that family. You would inherit that debt and you and I inherited Adam's debt. Let's look at it even biologically or medically. If we can put it that way when Adam was there in the garden eating we were all there.

After all, if he and Eve had died before they chose stepchildren. There'd be no human race. Any in a sense potentially all of us were in Adam is our great great great great great great grandfather all the way back to that period of time and then let's look at it personally. Let's suppose that God said I'm going to give each person an individual opportunity to either believe or not believe or obey or not obey what happened then is almost all of us.

I'm sure would follow Adam and sin, because he is representative of the human race, but furthermore, there would be really no way for God to redeem all of us. Jesus would have to die for us individually know what's happening in the fifth chapter of Romans is this Adam is a representative man who represented us there in the garden and Jesus is now the representative man who presents us in the new creation of redemption that God is bringing about and just like Adam.

One person represented the human race in the very same way Jesus Christ one person can now represent all of us to get clear about it and I want you to follow me on this. The angels who fell who are demons today.

There is no possibility that they can be redeemed for a number of reasons, but the major one is this. They have no sacrifice for their sin and they fail individually. Angels do not have cousins and uncles and grandparents and before they were individually created. They were not connected in a human family or a family of any kind. Therefore, in order for redemption to take place. There'd have to be a special sacrifice for this angel this angel.

This angel, and we know by the way that Jesus it says in Hebrews did not take upon himself the form of an angel, when he died, but died as a man so he only died for humanity. But the point is this, that just as Adam is the head of one race. Jesus is the head of another we are condemned as Adam is our representative but follow carefully. Just as we get the blame for Adam's sin, we get the credit for Jesus Christ's righteous medians now. Now you might be tempted to say that is not fair, but it's either not to fair or unfair anymore that we should be condemned for Adam sin as it is fair or unfair, that we should receive the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, as you frequently have heard me say from this platform. Jesus got what he didn't deserve mainly our sin and we got what we didn't deserve mainly his gift of righteousness and a one-man die for us all. As a rep presented to man because we are all connected together as human beings in the human family.

So we are taken out of Adam and we are placed into Christ through faith. Now what Paul emphasizes in this passage, and it's important that you look at it is the fact that Jesus really does Adam. You'll notice the phrase that much more that takes place, for example verse for Dean just one man's transgression, as it brought trends Russians to all of us much more have the grace of God and the free gift of grace through that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. You'll notice in verse 17, death reigned through one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ, and he'll go on to say is all point out in a moment that Jesus trumps Adam Jesus trumps Adam think with me for a moment.

Adam disobeyed God in a garden. Jesus obeyed God in a garden in Gethsemane. Adam sin when surrounded by beauty.

Jesus was obedient while surrounded by the terrors. The smell of blood and the terrors of the cross Jesus obeyed in that situation when Adam disobeyed. He closed the door of paradise. When Jesus obeyed. He opened the door of paradise and could say to the thief, today you will be with me in paradise. When Adam made to the fruit of the tree. He began to dive those who trust Christ who died on a tree.

They begin to live.

Adam was the father of a race of losers. Jesus is the father of a race of winners. Jesus is the one who is the Lord of the new creation and when Adam sinned, he cursed all of nature.

When Jesus returns nature shall be redeemed and when Adam was involved in his awful sin.

Everything that he touched everything that he touched was tainted. Jesus comes and everything that he does is a righteous and he is today, our Savior from our sins and for that we are deeply deeply indebted and grateful. As a matter fact, let's look at the text again and we could take time to flush out this contrast but notice this verse 19 or 18. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men (Paul is not teaching universalism here some people have taken this verse out of context and says see everybody's going to be saved. Condemnation for all men and Adam salvation for all men. In Jesus clearly Paul is interested in the parallelism. What he really means. Obviously, based on many many other teachings in text is this as there was condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men who believe on Jesus. In other words, it's not automatic.

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made as sinners sold by one man's old medians. The many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass I already mentioned that when the law came, people became more guilty because they knew more.

But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Let me stop there were sin increases grace abounded. You know that the word hyper comes from the Greek word who pair which really means that hyper yes indeed hyper you know when I was out the farm we had a truck that sometimes unit.

Of course it was. You know the clutch you had to use the clutch. It was stick shift. Many of you don't even know how to run a vehicle like that. I grew up. At the age of 10, doing it but 10 one of the things that happened is it sometimes got stuck in a gear and I couldn't get it out all that you could do is turn off the key and then just the unit as it chucked its way to a stop. If you have a hyper child. His throttle is stuck in 50 years is not true. That's the word that is used here is hyper where sin abounded, grace became hyperactive, grace abounded so much more grace out did sin in abounding in other many people who think that grace is something like a bucket and God gives you a bucket and then you know you sin and you confess your sin and God uses a little bit of the water and then you confess your sin again and God uses a little bit more and then eventually the bucket is empty and God has run out all grace, God has not run out of grace, where sin abounds. Grace supersedes and grace abounds much more than our sin. Shortly after we're married Rebecca and I drove to Niagara Falls and I remember we arrived in the evening and we were staying quite close to the falls and we could hear this rush of mighty water falls and then I remember thinking to myself what you know with all that water going over Niagara one of its dry by morning, but of course it wasn't the water was there and it still rushing over Niagara today when you come to grace when you come to grace.

It is not as if God hands you a bucket that is either empty or half full rather God says you come and there is an abundance of grace. There is abundance of water and the grace can outdo and will outdo your sin, which means you don't have to write me a letter as many people have done throughout the years asking whether or not you've committed the unpardonable sin.

Yes of course I believe that the unpardonable sin is committed today, but it is committed by people who have no interest in God, who have hardened their hearts could care less about God and they have so shut down their emotions and their conscience that they would never be troubled as to whether or not they committed the unpardonable matter fact that they were told they had they might be glad. As a result of it. The fact that you want to be forgiven. The fact that you desire, forgiveness means that there is grace available to you today who are deeply troubled because of your sin, where sin abounds.

Grace abounds much more.

The apostle Paul goes on to say amazing Grace is a matter of fact, what's the bottom line in this wonderful passage of Scripture.

Couple of thoughts. First of all, as far as God is concerned, there are only two kinds of people in the world. You are either in Jesus or you are in Adam. There are only two people so far as God is concerned legally and then being in Adam. That's the default position. All that you need to do is to be born, and you are born in Adam and immediately your under condemnation that you have no choice and that did you I had no choice and you had no choice either but we do have a choice.

We do have a choice as to whether or not were going to stay in Adam or whether were going to have a new leader and new King and that is King Jesus. The Bible says that God translates us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his marvelous light. It is possible for you today to transfer from Adam to Jesus. And what a marvelous transfer that is through faith in Christ as the Bible says there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Jesus Christ and the blessings that come as a result of being in him. So first of all, your either today and Adam were in Jesus. I hope that if you're in Adam only, and you've never come to Christ that the Holy Spirit will show you that that's exactly what you must do is come, so the transfer can be made.

There's another lesson that I want to and with today and that is that both Adam and Jesus are really kings.

You know the Bible talks about raining. I think that word Reynaud occurs at least five times in this passage you'll notice, for example, it says even back in verse 12 and verse 13 yet death reigned in verse 14 from Adam to Moses death rains you have. For example, also in verse 11. Death reigned. And in verse 16. As one man's trespass led to condemnation to all men. It goes on to say that death reigned. Finally, we come to it now in verse 20.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more so that, as sin reigned in death, there it is again grace also might rain through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Bottom line when you belong to Adam death reigned years ago I read a book entitled death be not proud. As I remember the book. It was about stories of people who died when death death can be very very proud can't think of all the people that it has slain. Think of all the healthy people who have ended up in a coffin. Oftentimes, way beyond the time that we would expect death rains and it rains in my heart and it rains in your life because someday it will get us and there's no way out but you'll notice that the Bible says that did Jesus also rains and grace of rain and because grace rains we look at death differently. You'll notice it says it rains through righteousness leading to eternal life, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what the text of Scripture says, through Jesus Christ, eternal life isn't that wonderful that now death on this side looks very horrendous to us.

Nobody is lining up hoping that will get some disease and die. Death looks terrible, but on the other side, we discover that death really is like a hired servant who comes and opens the latch opens the door so that you and I can march into Paradise, accompanied by Jesus. That's what death is at the Drake Hotel where you can go today.

There is a doorman there 24 hours a day. Welcoming people opening the door of the cars and saying come on and that's what death is death is an entry point by which we now have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Because where sin abounded, grace outdid the sin and when we believe in Jesus we are saved by the way, if you're here today and think, well, you know that's a wonderful that I can't out sin, grace. But no matter what I do, there's always more grace. Would you look at chapter 6, verse one. Paul says here, what shall we say then are we to continue in sin that grace may abound by no means how can we who died to sin, live in it pulses grace is wonderful.

Grace is like an elastic band that will stretch over any sin that you can imagine, but don't ever become presumptuous and use the grace of God for lasciviousness as the Bible warns because God will discipline is not possible for us to overestimate how much God hates our sin, so we never presume on grace, but when we sin, grace is there to outdo it because grace rains through Jesus Christ. And that's why think all of us would agree that one of the most beautiful songs that is ever been panned was penned by John Newton. He was on a ship called the Greyhound and they encountered a tremendous storm in about 1734 and Newton was a slave trader and a great center.

As a matter fact he told people that he would give them a prize if they could think of some sin that he had not yet admitted he was mean and he was evil, and then when the ship was in a storm and they used the pump to pump out all the water he became so weary that suddenly this atheist said to himself. He said if we are not able to continue this God help us and is the first time that God passed his lips without it being a curse word. Later on he reflected on this and the sin in his heart became very evident to him and he said I needed someone to stand between me and a holy God who must punish my sin and my brokenness.

I needed a Savior to take my sins away and through reading the New Testament, he discovered that Savior and that's why we sing today with such joy, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like you I once was lost now and found blind but now I see you know the stands of that were all acquainted with. Also, when we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun will have no less days to sing God's praise and that's right mathematics because were going to be there forever will have no less days to sing God's praise then when we first to be gone. Amazing grace, where sin abounds grace abounds much more would you join me as we prayed together. Father, we want to thank you today that Jesus trumps Adam. We thank you today that so much more abounds to us the grace that is ours in Jesus today.

I pray for Christians father who have sin on their consciences. Help them to hurry to you in confession that they might be cleansed and realize that there is grace for them regardless of their past and for those who do not know Christ as Savior. Help them to see that by receiving the free gift of Jesus. They can be brought into the family of God, we thank you today that Jesus is our representative in his name, amen.

Let's do stand together as we sing amazing and I in today's Moody Church. Our Dr. Erwin Lutzer spoke on rescued from eternal death. The 10th 12 part series on rescued what God did to save us.

Taken from the book of Romans next week. Part 11 in this series join us for the message I'm being rescued from self obsession. We are so grateful to all support The Moody Church.

Our enduring this month we have a special opportunity. Every gift you send will be doubled.

Thanks to a matching gift fund.

It's been set up by others who value The Moody Church. Our as it reaches the wider culture addresses crucial issues of the day you can make your gift a double one by calling 1-800-215-5001 number again 1-800-215-5001 or write to us at The Moody Church 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 online go to moodyoffer.com that's moodyoffer.com join us next week for another Moody Church. Our with Dr. Erwin Lutzer in the congregation of historic Moody Church in Chicago