Apr 10
28
Presented April 18, 2010 by Pastor Eric Cuenin.
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Quote for me the first stanza, and I’m especially listening for Doris in the back, quote for me the first stanza of Amazing Grace. Don’t look it up. You don’t have to sing it, just quote it for me.
Amazing Grace How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
So what do we need this amazing grace for? It says how sweet the sound this amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. Wow. Is that a compliment what’s the matter with that John Newton anyways, call people wretches, first he called himself a wretch, didn’t he?
Once was lost now am found was blind but now I see, he talks about being wretch, he talks about being lost, he talks about being blind but now I see. Interesting words. It’s grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. I find it interesting.
I appreciate your bravery. I’m on round two of the doctrine of sin. I thought about making it one round, but I couldn’t stick with it so I decided we needed to know more about the doctrine of sin.
Would you turn with me to Romans 5?
I like these popular series you know – sin, you know people will flock in, I should have advertised it on our scoreboard out there you know. Cuenin’s going to be preaching on sin on the evening of the 18th, I imagine we would have had to bar the doors if people in the public would have known that I was preaching on sin, right? After all it is the best life now right so isn’t that what the one book was? Hoping the best life is going to be in several years from now, not here on earth.
It makes a pastor wonder when he speaks on topics like sin if he should announce it, but I know you are long suffering, you do not mind and you do not shy away from good solid doctrine. You do not shy away from the word of God, and that’s what I appreciate about you and love about you is that we have that particular bond. It may make us uncomfortable but when I turn the news on I feel a little uncomfortable too but I want to know what’s going on. When I open up God’s word I need to know the truth and what is going on. I need to know that I’m a wretch and the fact is unless Jesus saved me I would go to hell is that not just an absolute truth from the word of God? If there is something that’s basic what is one of the most basic doctrines of the bible? People are sinners they are lost and going to hell and they have a desperate need and the only way that need is met according to John 14:6, Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, so he is the only provision whereby we might be saved, right? Acts 4:12 There is no other name given under heaven whereby we might be saved. He is the way the truth and the life. Jesus said I’m the good shepherd Jesus said I’m the bread of life Jesus said I’m the resurrection and the life. It’s good to go through all of those things. You see I don’t shy away from them because they’re doctrines of delight to me because I’m saved from my sin.
I am so glad this evening to know that I’m not going to go to hell. Are you not glad that if you belong to Jesus Christ you are safe evermore? We have the assurance that blessed assurance Jesus is mine? That’s right. So I know you don’t mind me preaching on sin. My intentions are not to necessarily make you squirm. My intention’s to make sure that we are looking through the eyes of God’s word.
So we need the help of the spirit to understand this doctrine which in turn helps us to understand God it helps us to understand man it helps us to understand salvation. God is holy. He can’t look upon sin God is holy in every sense of the word. I like the chapter and the Holiness of God by R C Sproul he — since we live in a day when people hate the concept of sin and holiness, instead of saying quoting Jonathan Edwards sermon in the hands in the angry God; God in the hands of angry sinners and there are angry sinners today who don’t like the holiness of God and we need to understand this particular doctrine to help us to understand God’s holiness to help understand God and what he is doing for us to help us understand our salvation in Jesus Christ we need to understand how wonderful our salvation is and how terrible sin is as well. So we rejoice that Christ saves us from our sin I have a lot of joy in my heart we go to the Lord’s table the first Sunday of the month and I have a lot of joy in my heart to remember the death of Christ’s on the cross of Calvary why does that make you say happy Cuenin? It makes me happy not to think that Jesus had to suffer so much but it makes me happy to know that Jesus paid the price of all my sin on the cross of Calvary for me he died for me he lives, and I’m delighted I’m delighted this evening that infinite price on the cross he rose again that we might have forgiveness, right, isn’t so much about all of these doctrines of sin and the preciousness of them about forgiveness? I like to know that I’m forgiven.
Fellas, when was the last time your wives got mad at you? Don’t answer that. May have been today, okay. But isn’t it great when you’re able to take care of things and that there is reconciliation within the bond of marriage isn’t that kind of a neat deal? I kind of like that when that happens I don’t like you know the Paula is in the nursery, right? I’m looking around here in case I say something see if she’s sitting out there with her arms crossed or something I’m joking, but it’s great when we can have a reconciliation because we have a oneness we have that spirit of oneness in the marriage bond and it doesn’t quite feel right when we’re estranged from each other when we have maybe purposely or unpurposely there’s been some kind of severing momentarily in our relationship only in the sense that our fellowship has been somehow upset, and so the good part is that we can talk. I like that about my marriage with Paula; that we can quickly take care of these things, and share one with another. It’s a blessing.
You see forgiveness of sin is true about that and a lot of other ways there’s something wonderful and ultimately wonderful about our salvation in Jesus Christ don’t you think? It’s the ultimate lifting of the weight it’s the ultimate of all forgiveness it’s the ultimate to know that this burden, this heavy bondage that we’ve been enslaved in is finally gone.
Our mother asked me as a little boy when I got saved at eight years old why I was crying and I, unbeknownst to me at the time, said actually something rather deep for an 8-year-old boy. I told her I was happy because I no longer was under that burden of sin.
There’s was something joyously I didn’t understand it all little Eric can you come here and explain you know exactly every concept of salvation. I obviously couldn’t explain all that many of them but I knew that in Jesus Christ I had forgiveness of sin and the burden was lifted the burdens are indeed lifted at Calvary.
So there’s great joy in the amazing grace that saved a wretch like me, because of the tremendous relief of being forgiven of my sin. Now in Romans chapter 5 particularly I’m not going to get real, real far but in verse 12 we find what I trust is obvious to you that because of Adam’s sin in verse 12 not only did sin enter into the world but we all inherited his sin. It says this wherever as by one man who’s that one man? Adam. Was it some kind of a vague deal or is there specifically one man in history whose actual name was Adam who was the first man created was he indeed the one that fell in the garden? And scripture says that is indeed so. And it said that sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for all have sinned.
I brought a book off of my library shelf and I got it back in the very early ’80s and it’s actually and I need to explain myself it’s called Self-esteem the New Reformation by Robert Schuler. He deserves a laugh. Not an applause, but a laugh.
I heard by the way that they’re in deep trouble, the Crystal Cathedral I heard that I’m not sure I heard it correctly or not did I hear they were $50 million in debt? Is that what you heard too?
With that in mind, our mortgage doesn’t look as nearly as bad does it but interesting I was just a fairly young pastor in the very early ’80s and I actually got two copies of this book he sent me two he must have knew I needed it extra badly or something since I don’t believe in this maybe he thought I would double it up on me and see if he could get my attention. But the particular book was actually and I want you to understand this don’t mistake me I don’t believe anything that hardly Robert Schuler ever says because what’s in this book but this book was a monumental book in changing the minds of many people in ministry, and one of the things and I want to give you an indication of what he wrote in regard to this particular subject. On page 65 and chapter on the fatherhood of God but it says classical theology defines sin as rebellion against God then he says this: the answer is not incorrect as much as it is shallow and insulting to the human being. Then he goes on to say every person deserves to be treated with dignity even if he or she is quote unquote he puts in quotation marks rebellious sinner I suggest that the problem stems from a failure in historical theology to make a distinction between Adam sin and original sin. Adam was created in the image of God and enjoyed at the outset of his human life a fellowship with the father then sin entered the scene what was the sin? So he gives the example of another writer Bruce Larson as pointed out it was the absence of total trust. You understand what I’m saying here don’t you? That the sin wasn’t really any big deal he didn’t just totally trust God. Somehow Adam did not trust God’s promise for fulfillment enough about fulfillment enough to obedient he abstain from the forbidden fruit and the immediate result of his disobedience was guilt and what is guilt but an ugly loss of self-esteem that’s what guilt is. I don’t know about you but it doesn’t sound like amazing grace and doesn’t sound about what the Bible teaches what God called Adam where are you — excuse me when God called Adam where are you Adam hid in the bushes while Adam was created in fellowship with God all of Adam’s children were born detached this is what happened to you and me is what he’s saying, we believe biblically when we study Romans 5:12 that we have all inherited the sin of Adam have we not? When we’ve inherited that particular sin from Adam, it has plunged us all into sin as Romans 5:12 says for all have sinned and it tells us death by sin and so death passed upon all men I don’t know about you but when I look at this it says it’s just about being all that Adam’s children are born detached from a trusting relationship with the heavenly father? Their lives unlike their father started out not knowing God they were born in the jungle disconnected alienated out of touch since then all of us were born nontrusting creatures so that’s what happened to all of us we’re just nontrusting creatures you got bad self-esteem or as in the comic strip they said selfish steam. Since then all of us were born nontrusting creatures of the jungle so that’s all that happened to us. Nontrusting creatures of the Bible, the core of original sin that stayed which we’re all born in is lack of trust, quote unquote.
I thought you might be interested by the way, Joel Osteen is someone who follows in the training of Robert Schuler you need to know that that he is a disciple of that thinking, so –
It kind of makes me shudder it takes me a bit back of my thought when I read that.
By the way, you notice something in Romans 5:12 as we delve into the passage I want you to understand Romans 5:12 real well this evening before we go tonight and we should leave you out in plenty of time we got started early so I’ll let you out on time early and all of those good things.
It says that by this one man Adam when we fell Adam’s fall we sinned all. When Adam fell and we inherited this terrible sin nature by the way that’s why Jesus did not inherit a sin nature he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and he did not have a father at least in the classic sense that his father was not part of his genetics and so when we talk about all of inheriting sin, you need to understand that Jesus had to be sure that he did not have that chain genetically and many other ways we talk about all the ways we inherit the sin of Adam but I won’t go into it this evening.
But you’ll notice it was because of his sin and his fall in the garden that he was polluted and — he didn’t inherit it but the sin nature came upon him that sin entered into the world. I find that interesting did sin originate now be careful here at this point. Did sin enter or originate let me use the word originate with Adam or did sin enter into the world because of Adam? You need to understand there’s a little bit of a difference there. Look at 1 John 3:8 hold your finger here. Your calloused finger of many years of keeping it in a spot. In first John chapter 3 verse 8 you know the Bible as unsubtle as I am as a pastor I’m not very subtle and I question that sometimes I’ve learned as a pastor to be bold I’ve learned as a pastor to speak without trying to offend people but it still offensive because I administer the word of God but even if I speak often to you folks I try to be direct not offensive but still direct and sometimes being direct is contrived as being offensive but I try to be as direct as I can and I hope you know you forgive me when I am too direct that you don’t handle it and because we like to have that good relationship with each other and you’ll be very quick to forgive me and I do offend you I will always ask that you come up to me and say oh pastor or whatever else you like to call me and please not a bad names, and have and say you know you’ve offended me or I was hurt by what you said or you said something to me that I didn’t like I’ll be glad to talk about it in fact I will probably if I believed that you were offended by my words I will probably apologize very quickly to you but then I may try to explain to you why I said what I did and if I had a bad reason that I have no explanation and say I’m sorry and you’re correct in feeling bad by what I said. But, perhaps I was just giving you the word of God and I may say I’m sorry that you were offended by it but it’s still what the word of God said and I’m still going to tell you the same thing, so — well in first John 3:8 it says he that commiteth sin is of the devil didn’t Jesus say something similar in John chapter what was it 8? We are all of our father the devil before we’re saved and offended all those Pharisaical types and it says but for the devil does what? Where does sin originate he sinneth from the beginning, so when we want to put the onus alone on Adam it was because of Adam’s sin that sin came into the world that’s why all of us are sinners but sin it appears originated with the devil himself. Or the devil sinneth from the beginning. He says for this purpose it’s actually a rather deep verse for this purpose the son of God was manifested we needed Christ to come into the world to be our savior that he might destroy the works of the devil. That’s interesting. So it would be more accurate to say that sin originated with Satan.
Now when did this happen? We find from the beginning well we can safely say before Adam and eve how much before scripture doesn’t say but from the beginning perhaps pieces of the puzzle of the doctrine of Satan Satanology may indicate some things when we try to follow the train of even the fall of the devil from heaven with his angels might help us with some of the pieces but again too many sermons when I try to put too many sermons together I last too long and get off on other trails.
Okay so when Adam fell in the garden he went from a state of what we might call innocence some call it holiness to that of sinfulness which was then passed on to each and every one of us including yours truly I have no denial of that I inherited a sin nature I was born in sin I was plunged into sin. It doesn’t mean that when I was a baby I was doing all kinds of sins you know I wasn’t robbing banks when I was a baby or you know thinking of horrible sins that may be somewhat silly for me to say but all the same I inherited a sin nature no matter how precious and beautiful and wonderful our little babies are and we got a lot of them they say go into the nursery on Sunday morning and you’ll find plenty. They say it’s standing room only or baby room only or something, I don’t know what but we’ve got a lot of them praise God for that particular situation that we have and it gives us see isn’t that another reason to rejoice that got is giving us so many little children and doesn’t it cause for us to rejoice that the future at Berean unless Jesus should come soon seems rather bright at this point and juncture we have a lot to rejoice in.
Okay. So it was this singular sin of disobedience that changed Adam’s nature to sinfulness it changed his nature too you know? It changed his nature after all did Adam die? Did Adam have ever have pains in his life did he start sweating by his brow when he worked and it no longer became fun? Yes we inherit that as well.
Well, since we all at least vaguely inherit Adam’s physical nature? We all kind of in some way or the other look a little bit like Adam what do you think? Do you think Adam was probably the most handsome guy and eve the most beautiful woman? sorry husbands and wives but the fact of the matter is it’s probably so. They were the original mold weren’t they? Adam you know was probably quite the specimen and so was Eve. They just were the original mold. They were but we all in a sense inherit their physical side and I want you to keep that in mind because we also if we if we all agree we at least in some ways inherited his physical aspects we also inherit his sin nature. We pass it on from parents and our children with only one exception Jesus Christ, right?
Good news though. We all fall with the first Adam and share in the sin he committed and so we — that’s true but the second Adam who’s the second Adam? Jesus Christ. Hold your calloused fingers here in Romans 5 and turn to 1 Corinthians 15 I need to share something with you as I keep moving on. Clock keeps ticking away I need to get done before 7.
1 Corinthians 15:20, but now is Christ risen from the dead and became the first fruits of them that slept for since by man came what? Death. By man came also the resurrection of the dead isn’t this a wonderful plan Jesus had? He came as the God man. What an incredible plan I don’t think we can understand it all completely but we surely can understand some of it. Christ came into the world he humbled himself. Philippians 2:5-8 he humbled himself and came in the form of a man that we might by his sacrificial work on the cross he died on that cross he shed his blood for our sin he was our substitute he suffered on that cross and he rose again victorious. This is a great resurrection chapter is it not 1 Corinthians 15? People preach on it during resurrection time people preach on it at grave sites. For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead for as in Adam what are we told again here? We’re told in Romans 5:12 we’re told here again as in Adam all died even — here’s the good news good news it’s not so bleak wonderful, wonderful glad hearted news: we’re delighted. Even so in Christ if you’re in Christ you’re in Christ those are the operative words in Christ, shall all be made what? Alive.
You can go to bed tonight if you know Christ as your Savior and say what a wonderful, wonderful future I have I can sleep well and rejoice in Jesus Christ. By the way look at 45 since you’re here. As it is written the first man Adam was made a living soul here’s a contrast we began with the last Adam was made a life giving spirit. He gives life you might have quickening that old English for giving life. We have a life giver a quickening spirit.
So the second Adam represents man in righteousness when we get saved we inherit Christ’s imputed righteousness to us. At the conference they had a big discussion about imputation. Let me at least make some brief reference to it since it goes along with my message. To impute means to attribute or ascribe something to another. It imputes something to another. For instance, in the Psalms David is delighted that he might not have to pay for what Adam imputed to his — that’s his inequity blessed is the man right? Blessed is the man who has this forgiveness of sin whose sin is not imputed to him. I don’t know what Psalm that is. I’m sorry I should have jotted it down but that can only come through the righteousness of Christ when we are saved the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, so here it is you know imputation works both ways, you know. We are delegated we’re attributed, ascribed the sin of Adam to us and unless we inherit the righteousness of Christ by salvation, we will die in our sins we need his imputed righteousness to us and probably the classic I think verse is are found in 2 Corinthians 5:19,21. Probably should make a bigger sermon out of this but I wanted you at least the idea. It says to wit, in five 19 of 2 Corinthians that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them. And have committed unto us the word of reconciliation. And he goes to how we’re ambassadors for Christ as though God it beseech you by us that we beg you in Christ to be reconciled to God you where far off because of your sin now you’re brought near because your salvation in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross. Then it says this in 21 here it is for he hath made him who knew no sin remember he knew no sin he cannot inherit any kind of sin nature but he became sin for us on the cross we just got through crucifixion resurrection season that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That is imputation. We have been made the righteousness of God in him because our sins are forgiven it’s a tremendous act of God we are saved righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. Well, sin also brings death by Adam’s sin because we inherited sin death will come upon all of us in one way or the other will it not? Unless we are raptured in a physical way well the most obvious way we when you think of this there’s several kinds of death okay? The obvious one is physical death right we think about physical death that something that stalks us that’s something we have fear of that’s something we have we mentioned it recently as kind of that prince or king of fears according to what was it Job and that’s part of that sin curse it’s part of inheriting that sin and that’s why in Romans 5:12 it says death came by sin and death passed upon all men and some of say it seems so unfair, we’re sad when young people die and we occasionally we hear about babies dying and you know it upsets us and it seems so sad but you see you have to understand that that is what sin does. We inherit that sin and it doesn’t matter if you’re a teeny tiny or really, really old. But that’s the answer here and we hate it. It seems unfair but that’s what sin does and that’s why we’re wretches and that’s why we’re so far away from God and we’re lost and you need to understand what sin does to us. It’s terrible. It devastates family it ruins people. It sends nations down the drain. Sin is horrible. There’s no doubt about it.
Sometimes people will say oh why did that person get so sick what did they do or did they die because of being such a wicked person? It’s part of our sin nature, folks.
It’s not unfair. It’s how the person without the Bible thinks and find sometimes we think like people without the Bible and we say it’s unfair but the fact of the matter is none of us deserve another breath it’s only God’s good grace that we breathe another breath and allows us to go on and we can do something positive for his glory. Sin is loathsome to God but yet his grace and goodness he sees fit to use people like you and me that we might escape the consequences of sin. God is the righteous judge his ways are above our ways so sometimes even though sin is — or death upsets us that is the I told you several kinds of death and I’ll mention a couple more and then we’ll close separation is also spiritually is a type of death spiritually separated from God. Horrible we are dead in our trespasses and sin that’s what Ephesians 2 one and two tell us we are dead in our — people rarely understand or even quote that passage that we are dead in our trespasses and sin we understand physical death because we see it it’s not uncommon but just as common as physical death is the fact that we are spiritually dead without Jesus Christ. We are separated from him so Ephesians two says we are dead in our trespasses and sins we are spiritually separated from him. That is a death or spiritually separated that’s a form of death.
In fact let’s see if I can find the passage immediately here I think it’s Ephesians 4:18. It tells us having the understanding darkened being alienated that is separated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. We are alienated we are separated from the life of God we are spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins.
Well one more concept of this as we close. Another kind of death that we inherit because of our sin nature also includes eternal death. Revelation chapter 21, verse 8 says that this is the second death, but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. Death and eternal damnation in hell.
I do want to say this in closing on a bright note because sin is such an exhausting and difficult subject. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior today you need to understand the terribleness of sin you need to conclude what it is and how wonderful salvation is you also need to understand speaking of death that you are no longer in Christ Jesus spiritually dead, you will not have to go to hell and pay the consequences of that sin in that second death will I have to die physically? If Jesus Christ doesn’t rapture his church before you die, yes you will die a physical death because of the sin of Adam as well, but that is part of our frailty as human beings. It’s sad but true. On the glowing side you really don’t have to fear death. Christ has conquered death and hell has he not if you belong to him let’s rejoice in Jesus Christ. There are some things perhaps we need to fear more than death and we don’t.
As we leave tonight, Father, may we rejoice in our Savior. Thank you for all of us who rise up and say Jesus Christ is my Lord and my savior I belong to him and I rejoice that sin no longer has that hold on me and that death though I may die a physical death I will not die a spiritual death of any sort nor will I go to hell and it’s because of Christ Jesus. We leave tonight, Father, thankful and clinging to the truth of your word in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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