practice in the ancient world, it's a little peculiar to us fascinating practice you know two armies were lined up against each other. Apparently somebody thought it didn't make a lot of sense to have all the mightiest people in your nation charge at each other and slaughter each other in the middle of the field and therefore essentially render both nations incapacitated for a generation to come. That's something else to make a lot more sense. Choose your best guy and send him out the place for you. Now the danger of this is of course if he loses you can't say that's just exhibition that's just a portrayal that's practice. Then whenever you choose that's it you get one shot right and the best illustration of this in the Bible is what? Sure here's the Philistens gathered seeking to do mortal harm to the Israelites and they send out their grand champion Shaquille O'Neal, right? His monster, this behemoth marches out to the center and he bellows, slander against God and his people and over on the other side you know in the Israelites side there nobody's stepping out right? Nobody's willing to be the warrior, nobody's found there to be the champion of God's people and so everybody's quaking until God's spirit falls on one young man and you know the rest of the story. Now if your whole destiny's riding on that one representative and you'd better have the right one, right?
You know there's something akin to this that we experience in our lives in powerful ways and that is that every family is ahead don't they? Every family brings from some source and the head of that family be it a man or a woman or a couple or whoever their behavior their actions will either blast their family for generation and generation to come or they will sow ill health and dysfunction for generation to come. Sometimes folks walk in my office and their life is next up and what they don't even realize is they are the product of what? Choices that may have been made by their great grandparents passed down through family lines of dysfunctional behavior that have now found root in their lives they don't even realize all the history that's gone into making them what they are. That's the way it is fathers heads of families have this great power to bless for generations to come and they have great power to just screw up their family for generation. I mean it's a father chooses to be zealous and passionate about God to educate his children to know Christ to love his wife and be faithful to her. Let me tell you something blessing will usually follow that family not just to the children but to the children children on down for a long time. I love this guy in our church who told me pastor he said my family are alcoholic my father was an alcoholic my his father was an alcoholic his father beat him beat me I mean we lived in a house of terror and unkindness and you know you just fill out the dysfunction of his family and he said I am the first Christian in my whole family tree. I am starting a whole new tree I am now the source I'm now the beginning of a whole new thing that's going to go from generation to generation this is outside. God has called me in a sense to be the one who introduces great and freedom and health and wholeness of this whole family that's going to come out and descend from me. I love this young girl who said she used to run 10 K's you know with her her dad and her dad was a better runner and stronger and more able but she was pretty good and and when the race got in his ladder stages and her legs were wet and in her lungs were burning and she won a quit she finds her dad somewhere in the crowd ahead of her. She fixed her eyes on his back and she forgets the pain and she forgets the surroundings and she forgets the runners and she said I'm not going to lose sight of my dad and so if he finished she would finish and here's the quest for us how do we get a father like that. How do we get a father relax to him if we're attached to him if we keep our eyes on him we'll get to the finish line because you need to know something. Romans chapter 5 says we're all in a family and the head of our family has messed up our family for all time. The head of our family has chosen the way of rebellion and transgression and disobedience and it has so garbage into all of us. It's the corruption it's sin it's the property it's in all of us that's the head of our family but there's another family. There is another father and you can be in his family. He gets every one of his children to the finish line. He makes every one of his children healthy and whole and well and he gets them all to heaven. It's a guaranteed you can be in that family and in the next few minutes I'm going to tell you how. How does how does this second Adam bless his family and how can you get in on it. Romans chapter 5 you have a sermon outline we start with this is that the first father the first family head ruined his family by his rebellion. What is verse 12 says therefore just as through one man the head of our family his name was Adam through one man what entered into the world. Then enter the world through this one man disobedience our representative the head of our family Adam chose to rebel against God. And it renders all of us unrighteous and not just legally unrighteous but internally corrupt internally we have hearts that their vented to disobey God. Now here's what you have to understand here's the way God set it up here was the deal Adam's our representative the Bible said Adam was made perfect without sin and yet he had the ability to sin. This is a probationary period he created with everything God gives Adam everything is the precious a life possible he has personal fellowship with the living God he has every reason to obey God and God's rules and laws are not onerous or burdensome. There's every reason that he ought to love and recognize God is a very source of life and everything is so whatever desire or crave. But God allows the probation he allows the test he allows someone to come to Adam and offer him a different life offer him autonomy offer him the chance to to go his own and make make it on his own without all this garden with all this blessing without all of God's tender loving care Adam can forge out and do it on his own that's the test will Adam go for it and the dreadful terrible answer is he. He did he did he failed the test and failing test instead of securing eternal life and God's favor for his posterity forever Adam secured for us what sin and death internal personal corruption and rebellion against God sin entered the world through one man now here's what you got to understand Adam chose for you. In Adam you sin you rebelled against God in Adam you are guilty for that you can say what that's up there I don't like that I want to pick my own representative I didn't have any say in this let's say something we have a hard time in the very individualized western world where we value individual rights and individuality to grasp what the rest of the world frankly has no trouble understanding this people who are age and valuable. What more than anything else the family people in Africa value the tribe that they understand this collective that there's a representative that represents all of us is just the way it is. I think the Bible of the people of Israel coming into the promised land God promises them that they'll be no it's early successful they defeat the fortified city of Jericho with God's enabling. And then they go to take on this little puny and non factor opponent in the city of AI and suddenly the Israelites are routed and everyone says what happened. And what did happen one of the Israelites stole the plunder from Jericho which got it expressly forbidden them to do. And so he is taken out and he is stoned to death when God reveals who this is but he's not only stoned what else. His wife is killed his children are killed the whole group is killed because the choice of one represents the whole that's just the way it is in God's economy. It ought to give us pause that very point ought to give us pause to think about all manner of things in our western world. And how we regard family and how we regard church and such understanding that this is this is God's economy. This is God's way and yet what Paul was taking pains to point out in Romans chapter 5 is because of that. Adam is not merely a bad example which we chose to follow Adam chose for us in Adam we sinned his choice was our choice. And if that's a novel thought you want to say is something a little bit convicting. You know not very long ago in America the way children learn how to read and write the way they learn their alphabet their little primers taught them this truth. Matter of fact under the letter A it said A in Adam's fall we sinned all. Doctrine was taught even a little of children to understand that in Adam's transgressions we all fell under sin. And because of sin what's the rest of the passage say death entered the world and death spread to all men this is the consequence of Adam's choice. You come to Genesis chapter 5 and you might look there it's a fascinating passage because in the early pages of Genesis all is right all is good. I mean God makes the world and God makes creation and God fills what he's made with with all the splendor of the created order. And at every point God turns and he says I saw what I made and it was it was good it was good it was good it was good. And finally God says when he makes man and he looks at the whole thing he says it was it was more than good it was very good. I mean glorious beautiful astounding and then he gets a Genesis chapter 5 and we read something entirely different just a couple pages into the Bible after Adam rebellion. It says that God made death and step was the long time and then he died. I mean if you're reading long that ought to shock you everything was good everything was harmonious everything was sweet. God made theft and he died God made inish and he died God made keen and he died God made Mahaloel and he died God made Jared and he died God made in it and he didn't die. God made Methuselah and he died God made Atlantic and he died he died he died he died he died he died and that's the curse that every one of us was under isn't it because our family had made that choice for us and the wages of sin is what. It's death God said if you choose to disobey me you shall surely what you'll die and you know what's sad well people die they've always died dying just the way it is and people get used to it. There's a sense of which people just the obituaries are in the paper every day and it's the way life goes you live and you die but it wasn't meant to be that way. Sometimes it's only when a child dies we wake up isn't it. When a child dies and you stand there and say there's something wrong with it. Let me tell you something when you stand at the grave of someone who's 98 and has had an Alzheimer's for 30 years you ought to stand there and say what there's something wrong with it. I don't care what day what age what time we weren't made for this. We were made to be eternal creatures our first representative had made the right choice and obeyed God. The eternal life would be ours for everyone but he died and he died and he died and I stood in cemeteries with you and we've looked in those graves and we said death is our bitter enemy. There's a bumper sticker out and I won't quote it for the parents say it's in here who don't like when I say those words but the bumper sticker says life stinks and then you die. And you know what if the head of your family tree is Adam that bumper sticker might be dark and it might be cynical but it's absolutely true that's all there is. It's even worse than that bumper sticker because that's not all there is. Life stinks and then you die and it gets worse by another family that's all of our family. Every one of us has stood in those graves every one of us has paid to death. I sat in my men's group last Friday morning and we talked about heaven and we asked the question who would you like to see you have anybody there do you have anybody close to you there. But who are you looking forward to linking up with there one of the men who's just you know plastic he never shows the motion to I still with fear and he told us about it is four year old little went a three year old little brother. When he was four and a half his three year old little brother guide of leukemia and is a four and a half year old he said I still remember that little my little brother. And I hope he's in heaven death in truth death is the death is the result of rebellion against God and every one of us have to taste that bitter pill. Adam family there's another family that's the second point near sermon outline there's a second head Adam's not the only head of a family there's another one that's Paul's point in Romans chapter five here the passage gets a little more complicated in verse 15 and 16 and 17. Because Paul wants to tell us how Adam and Jesus are similar but if you've ever read the writing of the apostle Paul you know he does all the time. He's saying something else and he stops and he goes off and he says something else. There's no like a parenthesis he just goes up on a tangent and then where the Andy comes around says what he was saying again. And it's like he wants to tell Jesus and Adam are similar that's his whole point but before he can say that he's got to tell us how Jesus and Adam are different like he's embarrassed to say that anybody's like Jesus. And just to justify what he's about to say stop for a minute and says well these two heads of the family they really are different they're different as to there and here's the three lines as to their nature. Now the nature of their work the effect of their work and the power of their work they really are different. If you look at verse 15 it couldn't be more clear when he says the three gifts of Jesus is not like the work of Adam. They're different they're different as to their nature look at verse 16 he says it again the gift is not like that which came through Adam. But he wants to point out Jesus work is different than Adam's work I want you to see the difference. The first point is they're different as to their nature. Adam's choice was a choice of self assertion self direction self love self will God says do this and you'll live Adam decides to do what. I won't submit to you God I'm going my way and then I'll really live as anybody makes that choice since isn't that the heart isn't that the heart of man. There was a movie came out this year that mystified me it's called American Beauty. It went all the economy to work. It was a foul move. When you go and there's this character and he decides that his life is dull and it's a sort of a midlife thing. So he quit his job he just tells his boss exactly what he thinks about him. He takes the job at a hamburger joint he rediscovered the pleasures of marijuana. He really abuses his wife and you know ignored her and finds himself lasting after his teenage daughter's friends. And at the end of the movie gets his head blown off. I mean it's just so you'll even see her and you just feel so enriched by having been there. I mean it's so dark and it's so dreadful and you watch and you say what's the point and why did everybody love this? Why didn't they give this thing awards? Now interesting point Christian ought to generally applaud art that demonstrates the darkness of life without Jesus. And we do the exact opposite. You know what? We applaud movies. Oh that was so awesome. It all worked out at the end and everybody loved each other and it was so redemptive and yet there's no mention of Jesus. Which means that it's nothing but escapism and actually it's a lie. It's a lie. Christian generally ought to applaud works of art that demonstrates the emptiness of life without Jesus. The problem with this movie though and so many others of its ilk is it has the underlying and not subtle at all message to say that life comes through transgression. Salvation comes by breaking the rule. That's what you do. Tell your bosses a jerk. Quit your job abandon your marriage. Have an affair. Do your own thing. You're being God make your own choices. Break societies to boost. Violate all the more age. And let me tell you something isn't that the message our world is creating in its art and its movies and its music and wood. Salvation comes by what? Transgression. Break the rule. Have it your way. And if anything Romans chapter five and the rest of the Bible ought to tell us that's the way to what? Yes. Maybe it's good at the end of the movie that this guy ends up with a bullet in his head because that's the truth. That if you're in Adam, a life stinks and then you die. Jesus Christ the nature of his work is completely different. Adam claimed what was not his authority, autonomy, sovereignty. Jesus Christ took what was his. And he laid it aside didn't he? Jesus Christ's salvation comes by the way of life. Obedience, not transgression, obedience, submission. And so he gets on a donkey and he rides into Jerusalem to die. And when he kneels in the garden, he says father must die and the father says yes and Jesus says not my will but but I will be done. He submits to his father at every point. So you need to see that Adam's choice and Jesus choice are completely separate. They're separate as to their nature. They're separate as to their affect. Adam's choice leads to our condemnation. Jesus choice leads to our justification. And they're separate as to their power. How powerful is the effect of Adam's role as family leader? How powerful is this choice? How much is it affected your life and my life and all of mankind? Could carefully be imagine that anything could be more powerful than the effect of sin. But there's something better. It's called what? Great. What does verse 20 say? Where sin increased then grace abounds all the more. As powerful as sin is to ruin a life, grace is more powerful to rescue it. It says that right in verse 15. The free gift is not like the transgressions. For if by the transgression of Adam many died much more, much more, much more, much more, did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus abounds to the many. Grace always trump sin. Grace always wins. Grace can change any heart and any life anytime. There's a point. Adam and Jesus, they're so different. But in this one point, they are the same. And here's the primary point of the whole passage. There one act determined the destiny of their entire family. Adam's one act of disobedience made us legally what? Legally centered. Jesus, one act of obedience makes us legally what? Makes us legally righteous. Wait, I don't like it. I don't like Adam being able to choose for me. I don't like having to be held responsible for Adam's transgressions. Don't you see it? This is the beauty of God's plan. How many now are raising their fist saying, I don't want to be held accounted justice for Jesus, for Jesus, obedience. Why should Jesus like come for me? So that's the very thing we need, isn't it? The just as Adam's choice counted for us. So Jesus's choice counts for us. His obedience as our family representative, as our family warrior, as our family head counts for all of us. What he chooses, we chose. That's just the way it works in God's economy. And God's people have to say, Hallelujah, because that means come like us, have a chance. Just to kind of be frank. The Bible says, Jesus is our representative. He took the penalty that we deserve to failing the test. The test Adam failed meant that all men are captured and sinned and all men die. Jesus took the death that we deserve. He's our representative in paying our penalty and he is our representative in fulfilling our probation. The understand when we say to people, do you stand before God means this, why should I let you into heaven? It's not enough to say, well, Jesus died for me. Because in dying for you, Jesus takes your penalty, but if he only restores you to the place of Adam, you are still liable to sin and lose it all. Jesus didn't just take your penalty away. People filled your probation so that when you are made righteous through the transfer of the obedience of Christ to you, you can never lose it. The probation is over. You are locked in as being righteous before God for all eternity. It's done. It's sealed. It's wrapped up. It's forever. That's what Jesus did for us. As our mighty man, as our warrior, as the feeder of our Goliath in sin and death, as our representative, he obeyed God at every point of his life. And by doing that, he has provided for us a perfect obedience. Does it not say that exactly in the 19th verse, as through the one man Adam's disobedience, many were made sinners, even so, through the obedience of Jesus, the many will be made wise. Right, just so that the living God, holy, holy in God, looks at us and he sees people who, as far as he's concerned, fed the 5,000. As far as he's concerned, healed the lepers. As far as he's concerned, did every act of obedience, kindness and goodness that Jesus did, it's all given to us. And he loves us passionately. So how do you get in that family? You want to be in the family of Adam, the family with the head of the family is screwed up his whole family, leading to sin and death, or do you want a new whole new line, a whole new family of which Jesus is the head. And his obedience has secured for his family forever, life and joy and peace and eternity, which family do you want to be in? How many people are still sent? I'm Susan Adams. I want to tell you, most people are. I'm Susan Adams because in Adam's family I'll do whatever I blank well, please, and that's what's my highest value. Friend of mine, emailed me this week. I told you about his little brother a couple of weeks ago, he said, a cocaine addiction, nobody in the family knew for 10 years, he said, a cocaine addiction. And he said, you know what comes with a cocaine addiction, usually thefts and embezzlement and other things to support that habit. He's not only been thrown out by his wife, but last week he got arrested. He'd probably go to jail. And he said, I got to call my brother's arrest that he's in jail. So I thank God my parents were out of town. He didn't have to experience this. That I drove down and God was there, you know, because the bail bondsman was somebody I taught Sunday school to 24 years ago and he was a fifth grader. And he helped me out and I'm able to bail my brother out of jail. My brother was so ashamed. He wouldn't even look at me. There we sat in this dingy, you know, bail bondsman's office. They're making jokes and in the bars in the windows and my brother is still with self-alosing and shame. He said, so convinced that he could save himself. He could work his way out of this dilemma. He said, I did not think the night would end with my brother still alive. I was convinced he would take his own way. I was 31 years old. I mean, good looking like a model. I mean, gregarious and all kinds of personal gifts. And now his life lay in utter ruin. He said, as we rode back to our part of town, my brother said, is God in this? Did God cause me to get arrested? My friend thought, I don't want to crush this guy's fragile spirit. I brought them off that night and wasn't sure he'd ever see his brother again. The next day his brother called and said three o'clock in the morning, I woke up, Mike. And he said, I got on my knees and I talked to Jesus for the first time. He said, and I realized that I had absolutely nothing to offer God. I had a lot of bankruptcy of my life. And I talked to Jesus and I experienced his love. My friend said, there kind of sounds to me like, maybe you joined his family last night. I said, no, I think I did. They started meeting last week to study the book of Mark together. Older brother is going to get to the size of his little brother in Jesus. How do you join this new family of Jesus? You have to get to the point where you understand that you have absolutely nothing to offer God. Because as long as you hold out one shred of hope that you've got what it takes, you're still in Adam's family, the family of Jesus. What's the proof for those who have a family leader like Jesus? They are no longer in bondage to sin. They are no longer in bondage to death. My friend said of his little brother, he said, he doesn't want to die anymore. Now he wants to live, but he's ready to die. Because when you come to be in the family of Jesus, sin no longer hold you in bondage. You can't. You got a new family head. He resisted Satan. He stood the test in your place. And he gives you a new heart. He changes you. There are people in this room right now held in the addiction of pornography on the internet. There are people in this room right now who have long held bitterness and fears that keep you bound up. And I want to tell you, your new family leader, the father of your family, Jesus, is coming in. And he's sending his spirit. He's going to bore into your heart. And he's not going to let those sins hold you bondage because great Trump sin. And he will have his children separate. Sin does not hold you bond in bondage. Neither are you under the reign and tyranny of death. This Gresham mentioned the founder of the seminary I graduated from at age 54 in Biznot, Mark, North Dakota. It's about to come to pneumonia. And in his last recorded words, he says how I think laying on his death bed, how I thank my God for the obedience of Jesus Christ. Some people say, oh, I can't stand when when we talk about doctrine. They say when you're dipping your toes in the icy water of death that separates us from this life and the life to come. Then you want to have solid doctrine to set your feet on. And the solid doctrine is this is that Jesus Christ is our surety who stands before the throne of grace and represents us before the father stands there as our older brother. That's utter assurance that allows us to stare death in the eye and be unafraid. And that's precious. Guy in our churches found himself in the throes of financial difficulty. He is so deep in debt that he it wouldn't matter how hard he worked. He couldn't get out of it. You know what I'm talking about? No manner of self effort will extricate him from where he is. And so as people gather around to say, what can we do? We've got the exciting news this week that his brother is going to come here from that state. And his brother is going to come and work with him and for him until he is set free. Wouldn't you die for a brother like that? You don't have to. You have one. His name is Jesus and he came and died for you so that he could stand before God as your surety cover all of your debt and provide a perfect obedience. You've got a warrior. You've got a champion. You've got a family head. Fix your eyes on him all the way to the end of the race. Amen. Take your worship order. Will you?