Sermon - July 21, 2013 - How to Respond to This World - Romans 5:12-21

Things in this world don’t seem to go the way we plan and we I am sure most of us would agree there are a lot of things that happen that we do not like.

During each or our lives there have been some sort of war or military conflict. Most of us have never been close to them, but it does not mean we like them. We don’t like to hear the statistics on how many have died. This may not hit close to home for all of us, but it is something we do not like.

What about persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Recently in the news there have been reports of how the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has been hunting and killing Christians. We have heard about persecution in Iraq, Iran, China, and many more. Scripture tells us that we will be persecuted for our faith, but we do not like it. Here are people who believe what we believe, read the same Words that we read and they are driven out of their homes, some are tortured, and some are murdered. This probably hits a little closer to home, and is yet another example of the fallen world.

How about here in the United States. What are some of the things we do not like? The racial violence due to a court ruling, the killing of countless babies through abortions, taxes, government policies, and more.

On a more personal level, what about things going on in our lives? Are you struggling with chronic pain, some medical issue, financial struggles, loss of loved ones, and the list can go on.

Heck I did not like that I hit a deer two weeks ago before we left of our trip to PA.  

There are a lot of things in this world that we do not like.

The question that I have thought about this week is how do we respond to all of these things in this world?

illumination: 

Simply put this world is pretty messed up. I have only listed a few of the things that we could possible not like about this world as people and even more so as Christ followers. All of these things can be quite overwhelming. So how should we respond to them?

Romans 5:12-21

“¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.¹³ In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. ¹⁷ Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. ¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Pray!

There is a lot of information in these verses, but I want to focus simply on one thing really. These verses tell us that Grace trumps Sin!

Verse 17 states “Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ”

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you receive his ‘overflow of grace’. Which means no matter what is going on in the world, you are given more than enough grace to carry you through it.

If you are struggling with sin, you have enough Grace to give you eternal life with our Lord. It goes beyond covering our sin. If the things of this world seem overwhelming, you are given an abundance of grace to carry you through day by day.

The violence of wars in the battle field or those created by racial tensions – covered by Grace.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are carried through their trials by the Grace they are given.

Whatever we are struggling with illness, loss of loved ones, financial struggles, even the damaged caused by a deer, is all washed away by the Grace we are given by our Lord Jesus.

The sin and struggles released into this world by the first man, Adam, are covered by the Grace given to us by the Death of the Son of God.

God will give you a daily dose of Grace to see you through the struggles of the world. Note, scripture does not tell us that He will take away the struggles but He will see us through them.

The other thing we need to remember when we read or watch the news, with all the sin in this world is that it is only temporary.

Hebrews 13:14

“¹⁴ For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.”

This world is not ours, it is not our home, this world is temporary. The violence, death, hardship, sickness, hatred, and sin are only temporary. There are only two things in this world that are going to last for an eternity: God’s Word and God’s people.

As God’s People we are to be looking towards the world to come as our eternal home instead of this world of sin we are currently living in.

Romans 5:21 that I read earlier tells us that we will receive ‘eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’. This eternal life will not be in this sin filled world, it will be in a world full of Grace and in the presence of Jesus. This new world will not have wars, death, hatred, illness, persecution, and so much more that makes this current world almost unlivable without the Grace of God. Not only does the world get replaced with a new and better version, but so does our bodies.

Philippians 3:20-21

“²⁰ but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.”

We will receive a new and glorious body! Those of us who have and are dealing with medical issues or if father time is catching up with us, we will no longer be in pain. When we are given this new glorious body, we will be free of our physical limitations and the pain.

So not only is this world our temporary residence, our current physical bodies are temporary and will be replaced with something beyond our imagination.

One day you will arrive in heaven and all of your pain – physical, mental, and emotional will all go away.

application:

I hope you can take some comfort today from knowing that first off that God will give you an overflow of grace to carry you through what you will encounter each and every day. In addition, that this world and these bodies are only temporary and will be replaced with something miraculous when the time comes.

As a husband and father my wife and kids are always on my mind. Sadly it is not always good. If Alexis heads to Columbia, I become concerned if she is gone longer than anticipated. It has nothing to do with any lack of trust we have, it is all the crime in the area. Just over a week ago an armed robber went into Wal-Mart and demanded money from the cash register. Thankfully we were not there and no one was hurt. But today in this world, there is a lot to not like and a lot of things that drive us to worry.

It may be the violence we read about or see or the hatred that can scare us. It may be the illness that we have or are dealing with and the impact that has on our lives. Whatever in this world and this life that causes us grief or concern, remember that the death of one man has given us more than enough grace to cover all of it. The death of one man has allowed this world and all the sin and suffering it brings with it to be temporary.

Having faith in Jesus Christ and having Him as your Lord and Savior gives you the promise of a brighter future.

inspiration:      

If life does not go as we plan – is there enough Grace to carry us through? More than enough!

The fear of war and its impact on loved ones and others bother you – It is only temporary.

There is more than enough grace to see every believer though the persecution they will see in their lives.

What about the physical pain some of us live with – this body will be replaced with a glorious one.

God will give us an abundance of Grace to carry us through this temporary sinful world. Thankfully, one day you will arrive in heaven and all of your pain – physical, mental, and emotional will all go away.

If you are sitting here this morning and are saying I want that grace, I want that faith to know that all of this is only temporary and better things are coming. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you have it all as soon as you recognize that you need to depend on Him. If you have yet to accept Jesus as Lord, you need to take that first step to an eternity of freedom pain.

Whether you want to meet Jesus for the first time or if you are in need of prayer, I want to encourage you to come forward during our invitation hymn. I am here to pray with you so please come forward if you feel the call or need.

Pray!

This message was prompted by a Devotional I read this week by Rick Warren. 

Thanks for Reading and God Bless,

Robert