Sermon - Romans 5 - A Fallen World - September 3, 2017

Things don’t always go the way we plan or would like them to.

During our lives, there has been very little time of true peace. Whether it is a military conflict or a flat out war, there has always been somewhere that our troops have been serving our country and risking their lives in another country.

Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan to name a few of the more recent places our troops have lost their lives. We have most likely read or heard the statistics of how many of our brave young men and women have died. It is something we do not like, but it does not always hit close to home as we hurry about our lives.

What about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ? The Middle East is a dangerous place for Christ Followers… Egypt, Iraq, and Iran. China persecutes believers. Not the level of persecution we talk about here in the USA where we are concerned about if our free speech is going to be limited. Our fellow believers are facing life and death decisions when they choose to speak up about who Jesus is.

They believe what we believe, they read the same words of Christ that we read and they are driven out of their homes, arrested, tortured, and murdered. Knowing that they are our brothers and sisters might me it hit a little closer to home, yet it is just one more example of the fallen world we live it.

Here in our great country the racial violence is getting scarier and scarier. Hate group after hate group dominates the news, abortions continue daily, and constant political battles that could infringe on our rights to worship and live as we believe.

If we bring it down to a personal level, many of us are dealing with medical issues, chronic pain, financial concerns, missing a loved one, and so on. Look at our prayer list, lots of personal needs right there.

Things that are going on in this world that we do not like and not as we had planned.

The question I want to answer this morning is, how do we respond to all of these things going on in this fallen world.

I have only touched on a couple of things that we as believers or even simply human beings should be concerned about. This world can be a scary place and we can feel like there is no hope, so how should we respond to all of this?

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 people, 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 type 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 which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 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 justification leading to life 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.”

We could easily spend more time than we have this morning digging into these verses and leaning to apply them to our lives, but what I want to focus on this morning is simply 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 received his ‘overflow of grace’. Which means no matter what is going on in the world, no matter what you are struggling with, you are given more than enough grace to carry you through it.

If you are struggling with sin, you have been given enough Grace so that you can spend eternity in heaven. But, it goes beyond the covering of your sin. If the things of this world seem overwhelming, you are given an abundance of grace to carry you through it, with new mercies available every morning.

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

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

Whatever you are struggling with, illness, loss of loved ones, financial struggles, problems at work, they are all washed away by the Grace given to you by your Lord Jesus.

Verse 20 states “But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.”

Your sin seems big, Jesus' Grace is bigger.

The violence in this world seems overwhelming, His Grace covers it and then some.

That disease tearing you down, His Grace will build you up.

His Grace is truly sufficient for all of your needs.

I firmly believe that if we are walking with Jesus, reading His Words, talking to Him, that He will give us our daily dose of grace. He will give us enough to see us through the struggles we are facing, the hardships we endure, the fear caused by the sinful world.

Nowhere does Scripture tell us that He will take away all the struggles, but these verses remind us that His grace is greater than anything we are facing. His Grace is more than sufficient.

Hebrews 13:14-15

“¹⁴ For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come. ¹⁵ Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

We also need to remember that this world, the sin that surrounds us and tries to trap us, is only temporary. This is not our home. The violence, death, sickness, hatred, hardship, and sin are only temporary. There are only two things in this world today that are going to last for an eternity, God’s Word and God’s people.

As God’s people, we need to be looking toward the world to come, our eternal home, not the fallen world we currently live in.

Romans 5:21 that we read earlier says “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.”

The eternal life we will receive will not be here and now, it will be in a world full of Grace and in the presence of our Lord. There will be no wars, no death, no sickness, no hatred, and no persecution. All that stuff that can overwhelm us and make this world seem unbearable at times will not exist in Glory.

Philippians 3:20-21

“²⁰ but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, 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.”

In addition to a new world we will receive a new and glorious body! If you have been dealing with medical issues or if you feel like father time is catching up with you, there will be no more pain in Glory. You will receive a new body that will have no pain, no sickness, and no limitations.

The world we live in today with all of its problems, is temporary. Our bodies with all their problems, are temporary. Both will be replaced with something magnificent that is truly beyond our imagination.

On the day you arrive in Glory, all of the junk from the fallen world will be gone.

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

Lamentations 3:22-23

“²²Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. ²³They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!”

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

No matter what you are going through, I pray that you can take some comfort knowing that God will give you an overflow of grace to carry you through everything you are facing today. You will receive more grace than you can possibly need if you choose to Follow Jesus.

I pray you also take comfort in knowing that the struggles you face, the sin you are challenged with, the hate, violence, sickness, and death…are all temporary. They will not exist in Glory. A new home and a new body await you.

Whether you are troubled with the violence that is erupting in our nation and the world, a sickness that is attacking your body, or a sin that you keep struggling with. Whatever it is that is causing you grief and concern, remember that through the death of one man all of that is only temporary.

His death did not take away the sin, hatred, violence, and sickness. His death did not take away our struggles. What it did do is make them temporary.

Having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior gives you the promise that you have a brighter future. One full of God’s grace, His joy, His peace, and His love.

If your life is not going as planned and you wonder if there is enough grace to carry you through, the answer is Absolutely!

That sin that keeps creeping back into your life, there is enough Grace to first forgive you and second to help you walk away from it once and for all.  

There is more than enough grace to see every believer through every challenge in their lives.

The pain, suffering, and sickness will be wiped away through God’s grace and that new glorious body you receive in Eternity.

You will receive an abundance of grace to carry you through this sinful world and on that day that you enter glory all of your pain will be gone.

If you are sitting here this morning and are saying you want that grace, you want that faith to know that all of this is only temporary and to know better things are coming. The first step is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and the second is to recognize that you need to depend fully on Him.

If you want to meet Jesus for the first time, want to give your concerns over to Him, or simply would like someone to pray with you please come forward during our final song and one of us will gladly pray with you.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Robert