LENT 1 – March 1, 2020 – Romans 5:12-19
Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Romans 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our Scripture lessons for this morning highlight the most consequential and determinative events in human history, other than creation itself. The fall into sin drastically changed almost everything about human nature, human history, and human experience. The promise of Christ the Savior, and His coming and accomplishments, are the antidote and reversal of the “serpent’s” venom and death.
- In the face of the just condemnation of God’s Law – even when it was only written on human hearts and not yet given visually and objectively in the Holy Scriptures – God was already merciful. He gave promise of a “Seed” Who would undo Satan’s harm, crushing his head. That Seed is Jesus.
- So, even with the poison coursing through every human vein and heart, God determined not to look at us as guilty, but rather as “justified,” forgiven and cleansed in His sight.
- Yes, we still live with the poison, but God has offered the cure. Jesus said it: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. [John 3:14,15] The incident He was referring to was a punishment of poisonous snakes inflicting death on the children of Israel in the wilderness. Whoever looked at the bronze serpent of Moses was healed and spared death.
- So we are invited to look to Jesus, lifted up on the cross to suffer and die for the sins of the world, taking them away. We are invited to see that in this “righteous act” He has indeed “CRUSHED SATAN.” And this frees us from the lethality of Satan’s venom. And this frees us to also “CRUSH SATAN.”
- First we takes cognizance of the fact that:
I. Satan’s Work In The Garden Was Horribly Consequential
A. It Immediately Caused Death In God’s Creation
Gen. 2;16, 17 “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Text: “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
B. The Infection Of Sin Was Dramatic, Powerful, Invasive, Destructive, And Horribly Dismal
1. Adam and Eve hid from God, ignorant of His love and goodness, His omnipresence, His omniscience
2.They lied to God, making excuses, ignorant of His truthfulness, His holiness, and His wisdom
Text: “death spread to all men because all sinned. . . . death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam.”
Cain killed Abel.
Statement: The Old Testament records the history of people who were supposed to be the best people on earth, God’s people. Paul writes of them: “to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” [Rom. 9:4,5] Yet they rejected the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the promises of God. And the result was utter sinfulness, wretchedness, violence, horrific crimes – all because of ignorance of God and rejection of God.
Application: This same poison of sin still courses through our veins as well. We still have the will to sin, to remain ignorant of God, to make excuses, to live in selfishness that harms others. The New Testament Scriptures record the reception given to Christ. Many in the world around us give Him the same reception today. And some were part of God’s people in the past, but have given Him up. We know enough of human history to see the horrifying effects of this venom of the serpent, the poison of sin.
Transition: But we also know the freedom and cure that Christ has brought to us! For:
II. Jesus Has Undone The Devil’s Work; He Has Crushed Satan
A. His Act Of Righteousness Has Brought Justification And Life To All Of Humanity
Text: “The free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one Man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. . . . Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the One Man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
B. Now Those Who Receive This Abundance Of Grace And The Free Gift Of Accounted Righteousness Reign In Life – Through Jesus
Text: “If because of one man’s trespass death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the One Man Jesus Christ.”
Statement: Not only does Jesus crush Satan in everything He does – in overcoming temptation in the wilderness, in submitting to the Father’s will in the crucifixion, suffering even forsakenness of God, submitting to death, and then His glorious resurrection – but now we, His dear children of faith, also “crush Satan.” His work of sin and death are overcome. We have life, eternal life! We have forgiveness, cleansing of our sin and guilt, and we are accounted righteous, with the same victory over sin as Jesus accomplished. And we now are free to actually conquer sin in our daily lives – so that we can worship and serve God!
Application: In our life of faith as children of God, it is a challenge but also our privilege, in the face of the enormity of sin in the world, to beam the bright light of God’s love and redemption into the world. Our faces should shine with the optimism of God’s cleansing love and His gift of eternal life. Our very being should radiate the reality that we are even now “reigning in life” through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord! “SATAN IS CRUSHED,” and daily we are crushing Him too, through the life that is ours in Christ Jesus!
Conclusion: The evil one doesn’t want to give up. He doesn’t know how to give up, even when He is crushed. He still tries to accuse you, to convince you that your life in Christ is futile, that you are not reigning in life. He wants you to think you are still dead in sin, and he sticks evidence in your face. But his evidence conflicts with the Word of God, and you know about God’s Word – it is always true, correct, and right. “SATAN IS CRUSHED.” So rejoice, and reign in life. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.