Our First Parents

[0:00] Take your Bibles and turn to the book of Romans. The book of Romans in chapter 5. We'll be reading verses 12 through 21.

[0:14] ! For because the law was given, sin, or before the law was given, sin was in the world.

[0:36] But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

[0:53] But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many?

[1:10] Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one's sin and brought condemnation. But the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

[1:26] For if by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ?

[1:44] Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

[2:00] For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous.

[2:11] The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. So that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

[2:32] Second only to the question, who is God, is the important question, who am I?

[2:48] Who am I? And we saw last week in our beginning of this new series that an awareness of our true identity is critical to the way that we live.

[2:59] We'll find in the scriptures, God often coming to us to remind us who we are and say, this is who you are, now be what you are. Live up to your identity.

[3:11] And the only reliable answer to both of these questions, who is God, who am I, is found in God's word, the Bible. After all, who knows who God is better than God himself?

[3:24] And who knows who I am better than the God who made me? So in this series of studies, we're coming to God's own word to learn who we are.

[3:35] That is what we're calling our identity. Now, according to God's own word, knowing who we are then shapes the way we live.

[3:45] It's fascinating to see all the interest today in discovering our true identity.

[3:57] People are wanting to get in touch with their ancestry. And judging by the advertisements, the study of our genealogy is no longer just the hobby of the elderly.

[4:07] Rather, the ads are all of pictures, mostly of pictures of young people, young adults, wanting to know, who am I and where did I come from?

[4:18] And so we now have businesses like Ancestry DNA and 23andMe. And for just about $100 and a vial of your saliva, they'll tell you your ethnicity and your family history, who your ancestors were, where in the world you came from.

[4:40] The testimonials are quite interesting. One young lady found that she was a descendant of a powerful tribal queen of the distant past. And it's changed her life.

[4:51] I've now learned where my strength and courage comes from, she says. So now she goes forth into the world with a whole new confidence and courage, just from knowing her identity, that she's a descendant and shares a genetic connection to this powerful woman of the past.

[5:11] Now, if that's true, and I doubt that it is, but could you imagine the courage and confidence that believers should have as we get a hold of the reality of our identities, that we are the descendants of the king of kings.

[5:26] We're his children. And the courage and the boldness with which we ought to go into life. Another young lady found she came from a certain region in Africa, so she started wearing different clothing, even the tribal dress that was worn in that region.

[5:44] And I've even seen men who discovered they were from Scotland start wearing skirts. And such is the power of identity, you see. This is who I am, and it affects how I live.

[5:57] It's powerful stuff. Now, this morning, have I got a deal for you. You can keep your hundred dollars and your spit, and just using this book, the Bible, I can tell you where you came from and who your ancestors were thousands of years ago.

[6:21] I can tell you that each one of you is a descendant of Noah, aren't you? Because the global flood wiped out all of humanity except for eight people.

[6:33] Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Every single one of you has a genetic connection to Noah. Noah. But we can go further back than that, even, can't we?

[6:46] I can trace your family tree all the way back, all the way back to the first two people on the planet, Adam and Eve. They were your first parents.

[6:58] Whoever your present parents are, you're tracing it back. Your first parents were Adam and Eve. Now, this is where our study on our identity begins.

[7:09] As Pastor Jason said in Sunday school, he guessed that it would be that we are in Christ. That's coming. But before we look at our identity in Christ, we first start where the Bible starts with our identity.

[7:23] Our identity is rooted in Adam. It's rooted in this one man. And so in answering the question, who am I?

[7:33] The Bible takes us right back to creation and says, you are a man. A descendant of Adam. Now, Genesis 1.26 tells us on the sixth day of creation, God created man.

[7:50] Now, that's not to talk about the gender now. It's just talking about the race. God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him.

[8:00] Then it speaks of gender. Male and female, he created them. I am a man. You are a man. You are a human being.

[8:11] That's what it's telling us. And there are two genders of human beings. There are male human beings and female human beings. They're also called man and woman in chapter 2, 22 and 23.

[8:23] So that's Genesis 1. That's where we start. Who am I? I am. I'm a human being. Chapter 2 tells us God made the man first and said, it's not good for the man to be alone.

[8:38] So he made a woman from the rib of man and brought her to the man as his match and complement. That's Genesis 1, Genesis 2.

[8:50] And then Genesis 3.20 says, Adam named his wife Eve. Why Eve? Because she would become the mother of all the living.

[9:01] You see? She is going to become the mother of all the living. So this huge family tree of the human race comes right back to this woman.

[9:15] She's the mother of the whole human race. And she herself came from Adam. And so he, he is the head of the human race.

[9:27] And the Apostle Paul, speaking in Acts 17, 26, when he preached to those philosophers on Mars Hill, said the same thing. He said, when telling them about the God who made the world and everything in it, he said, From one man, he made every nation of men.

[9:46] From one man. And we know his name because God tells us it was Adam. Now the Bible spares no pains then in telling me of my identity in Adam.

[10:00] I am a human being, a descendant of Adam. Who are you? Say it with me. I am a human being, a descendant of Adam.

[10:14] That is where our identity starts. And that fact has drastically affected me. It has profound ramifications in my life and in yours as well.

[10:28] I was interested to learn that my ancestry goes all the way back to a garden in Eden because I've long had an interest in gardening. And I found that I'm a descendant, a direct descendant of the very first gardener.

[10:44] Now I'm not so sure it explains that about me. But it does explain a whole lot of other things about me. Far more important things than my hobbies.

[10:55] Although even that can be reflected by who I am in Adam. So I don't want to write it completely away. There are things that I need to know and understand about being a descendant of Adam if I'm ever to fulfill the purpose for which I was made.

[11:15] So understanding my ancestry as a descendant of Adam, I now understand why I am dying. I now understand why there are thoughts and desires in my heart that are sinful.

[11:30] I understand a whole lot more things as well. So let's start unpacking our identity in Adam this morning. Our identity as human beings.

[11:41] The first implication is this. It means that I am a part of one human race with all other descendants of Adam. Adam. I'm a part of the whole one human race with all the other descendants of Adam.

[11:56] I'm related to every one of you here. Don't don't be sad about that, son. We're all related. We're all related. We're related to every single one on the planet, you see.

[12:10] And that has huge implications for what has been called race relations. You can go right back into the Old Testament and you can see it coming to birth in the Jew, Gentile prejudice.

[12:25] Think of the black and white problem in our own country. Over the Martin Luther King holiday, we recently saw a documentary of the racial problems, especially in the South during the 60s.

[12:39] And quite frankly, I was embarrassed to see the way that we had prejudice against the blacks. And though we've come a long way in some regards, yet no one can deny that there are still strong racial tensions seething between blacks and whites in our country that only need an incident to erupt into destructive conflict.

[13:04] But that's nothing new. Racial prejudice is not something unique to our nation or unique to blacks and whites. It's found everywhere between people who are different from one another, perhaps in ethnicity, maybe in physical features.

[13:20] Some of you were alive during the systematic extermination of five to six million Jews in Europe by German Nazis in four years time. Much more recently, the Hutus and the Tutsis have slaughtered each other in Burundi and then in Rwanda, where in a hundred days, a million.

[13:40] We're martyred. Most recently, we've heard of the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas in Myanmar.

[13:52] And it's everywhere, isn't it? And such racial prejudices have often been the scourge of human history. And behind such hatred often lies this proud idea that one group is a superior race than the other.

[14:08] And it's there that our Bible meets all such arrogance with the teaching that of our identity, our common identity in Adam.

[14:23] Our common identity in Adam is the great leveler of humanity. We stand side by side with every other descendant of Adam. That's what the Bible tells us.

[14:35] Mr. Hitler, there is no superior race. There's just one human race. And that the head of it is Adam. And we're all his offspring.

[14:47] Are there differences among us? To be sure. But however great our differences, what we have in common is far, far greater.

[15:00] And so we're going to spell out some of these far more important commonalities. But let's just begin with this fact that we're all related. We all belong to the one race, the human race.

[15:11] We are all leaves on this one big family tree. We all have Adam's blood coursing through our veins. Genetically, we all come from the same gene pool of Adam and Eve.

[15:24] And this is who I am, a human being, a descendant of Adam. In fact, the Hebrew word for man in Genesis is Adam. Adam.

[15:36] That's the word for man. It's also the name that God gave to the first man. Adam. Adam, as we say. So he named the whole human race after the first man.

[15:48] Or he named the first man after the name for the whole human race. Whichever was God's order. But we see the linkage of this first man. Adam. Adam.

[15:59] And the whole human race. Adam. Those two are related. And you are related to this Adam. Now, that should change the way I look at people who are of different color than me.

[16:14] Red and yellow. Black and white. We all have the same parents. This is right. We need to remember that. And if we share the same parents, then the black man is my brother.

[16:26] And the Hispanic lady is my sister. As far as the human family tree goes. And however different we are, our genealogies at some point merge together into the very same genealogies that are found in Genesis chapter 5.

[16:45] And Genesis chapter 10 in the table of nations. And in Luke chapter 3. The genealogy of our Savior. We all share the same genealogy.

[16:57] At some point, they link. And go right back to Noah. And right back to this one man, Adam. Well, this truth of our shared identity in Adam, then, should shame out of us any racial, so-called racial prejudice.

[17:16] You see, it's the theory of evolution that denies the single origin of the human race in Adam. That all human beings have come from this one man. The theory of evolution says no.

[17:28] No. We've come from several different groups that just spontaneously arose from the apes. And you had a group here and a group there. Now you've got, you see, some superiority argument.

[17:41] That this group was perhaps more superior than another. But the Bible comes at us with this. No. We're all descendants of the one man, Adam.

[17:53] You see how important your identity is in getting that straight? Just in this one area that is such a huge problem of our world today. I am a human being, a descendant of Adam.

[18:07] Secondly, I'm a creature. I'm a creature. Not the creator. You might think that goes without saying. We need to say it. I am the creature.

[18:21] It's he that has made us, not we ourselves. God created man. We didn't come on into being on our own. We were created. And that carries consequences for us.

[18:33] And one of the first consequences that I can think of is that I'm totally dependent upon God for my origin and for my ongoing existence. And for his assistance and help in everything I do.

[18:47] I was created. I was created. God created me to be dependent upon him for my daily bread, for my next breath, life, breath, and everything else. I'm not a self-sufficient creature or creator who has life in myself.

[19:06] No, only God has life in himself. I'm dependent on him for life. It's first gift and it's continuance on this earth. So I learned from my identity as a creature that I was never meant to live independently from my creator.

[19:22] I was never meant to wing it along without him. I was never meant to live on my own resources, my own wisdom and insight and strength.

[19:34] To provide for myself, to protect myself, to instruct myself, to decide. The decisions of life. No, I wasn't made to live without God any more than I was made to live without oxygen.

[19:47] I'm a dependent creature. I was made to be led by God, to be taught by God, to be indwelt and empowered by God.

[19:59] And that's why I keep bumping into my need. My need for God. I can't live a day without bumping into the fact that I am a dependent.

[20:11] I can't get my next breath without bumping into the reality that I'm just a creature. And I depend on the creator to give me life, breath, everything else.

[20:25] It makes sense when I understand my true identity as a creature of God. Why I feel my utter inadequacy. When facing trials.

[20:37] When facing need and death. I never was created to cope without him. I'm a creature dependent on the creator. And the fact that I'm a creature made by God also teaches me that I'm his.

[20:53] He made me. I'm his. And therefore, I'm his to command. He's got the creator rights. I'm the clay. He's the potter. So he has the right to command me.

[21:04] To tell me how to live. And it explains why at once we see God giving instructions and commands to his creature Adam. He makes him. And then he says, now you go work in my garden.

[21:15] And you take care of it. And you expand it by multiplying and filling the whole earth. And be sure to subdue the earth. To rule over all the other creatures.

[21:26] And to name the animals. And you can eat from these trees. But not from this one tree. You can have this. But not that. Furthermore, Adam was accountable to his maker.

[21:39] Wasn't he? For the obeying of these commands. So. A God who gives me commands. And holds me accountable to obey them. Is something I learned from my identity with Adam.

[21:51] I'm a descendant of this man, Adam. And so I too come under God's commandments. And I'm accountable to him for the keeping of them. That's what it means to be a human being.

[22:03] That's what it means to be a descendant of Adam. I'm God's creature. I depend on him. And I'm accountable to him. But thirdly, I'm not just any creature.

[22:15] I'm an image of God creature. An image of God creature. And this makes me uniquely different from all other earthly creatures. As we've read from Genesis 1, 26 and 27.

[22:29] It's only of man. Male and female. Mankind. That God says I made them. I created them. In my own image. And likeness.

[22:40] And this explains so much in my life. Once I get my identity right. I am an image of God creature. Well, it just. Life makes sense.

[22:55] It explains my experience at the zoo. Kids. Have you ever noticed when. At the zoo. That it's. It's human beings. Who go to the zoo.

[23:06] To look at the animals in the cages. And not the other way around. Why is that? It's always been that way. Can you imagine?

[23:19] You're in the cage. Mr. and Mrs. Monkey are coming with their children. And they're. They're pointing at you in there. And watching you eat. And talk together. And play.

[23:30] Why isn't it that way? You won't understand. Unless you understand. Your identity in Adam. I am. I am. A descendant of Adam.

[23:42] That means. I am. One of those. Who was made in God's image. And the monkeys were not. And no other animal was. And as his image bearers.

[23:55] The sovereign ruler. Who has dominion over everything. Has given me dominion. And told me to rule. Over the fish. And the birds. And every living creature.

[24:05] And that's why the rabbit is in your cage. And you're not in the cage. And the rabbit feeding you. And that's why you're feeding the chickens. And the chickens aren't feeding you. You see. God has given to man alone.

[24:18] This image of God's status. That's why we have creativity. We have been made in the image. Of the creator. You talk about creativity.

[24:30] He is the one who. Who created the human cell. And designed. The human body. And paints every. Sunset.

[24:41] That's why there's an appreciation for beauty. In mankind. We appreciate beauty in the music. And beauty in art. And in the whole of life. We were made in God's image.

[24:54] It's why we're moral creatures. With a moral conscience. About right and wrong. We were made in the image. Of this God. Who is holy. Who defines what's right and wrong.

[25:06] And so we have a sense. Of right and wrong. And justice and injustice. We know when. When justice has not been served. And there's something in us. That. Riles up.

[25:16] Against that. God. And his image of God. I'm called to be like God. And to reflect his moral likeness. Just like a. A son. Becomes like his father.

[25:27] And shares the same likeness. And imitates. His father. That's why we're personal beings. We're not. Forces. We're not.

[25:37] Robe batons. We're. We are. We are personal beings. Why? Because we've been made by the infinite. Personal God. Who's made us in his image. And so he's given us.

[25:49] A mind. To think. And desires. That love. And hate. And. And a will. To choose. And to shape. Decisions. Of our lives.

[25:59] And. And he's made us with a capacity. For relationships. Hasn't he? Why is that? Well. Because we're made in the image of him. Who has.

[26:10] Eternal relationships. The. The trinity. Of the father. And the son. And the holy spirit. Throughout all eternity. In perfect relationships. And. And we're made in his image.

[26:21] And we. Are made for relationships. First of all. With God himself. The monkey doesn't have that. Capacity. Your dog or cat. Don't have that capacity.

[26:32] But you do. You. You were made to know God. And you have a sense. If you're tuned in at all. That something's not right.

[26:43] If you don't know God. Life is not. Hitting. On all cylinders. Because you were made for God. You were made to live in. Fellowship with him.

[26:53] Ever receiving from. This God. Rather than being separated. From him. And so. Our hearts resonate. With. Augustine. Who says that.

[27:04] Man was made for God. And is restless. Until. He finds rest. In God. Well you have this. Capacity. That's part of the. The image of God.

[27:15] And then you were made. For relationships. With other people. Too. Weren't you? Just like yourself. Human. Beings. We're. We're social. Critters. Aren't we?

[27:25] And that's why. I shouldn't say. Critters. Should I? We are social. Beings. We human beings. I've just said. We're different. From the critters.

[27:38] And so we. We like. To have friends. And we like. To belong to teams. And we like clubs. And we like groups.

[27:48] And it's why. A pleasure. Is more than doubled. When we share it. With someone else. We were made. For relationship. With others. We weren't created.

[27:59] To be. An island. To ourselves. But to be. Interacting. With other. Human beings. And in a way. Of love. To be loving them. Well.

[28:10] We were also made. To have one special. Human being. In our life. A husband. Or a wife. Joined together. In marriage. As long as we live. That's what the opening.

[28:21] Chapters. Of Genesis. Tell us. About what it means. To be a descendant. Of Adam. It was not good. That the man. Was alone. I'll make a helper.

[28:32] Suitable for him. And so God created. A different kind. Of human being. A woman. Like the man. In that she shares. The same image. Of God.

[28:43] But unlike him. In that she's. The counterpart. Answering. To his needs. Unlike him. In that sense. One to complete him. By bringing.

[28:53] To the table. Something new. Something different. Something uniquely. Feminine. And female. That is not found. In the male. That's God's design.

[29:05] So. We're made for relations. That's. Part of what it means. To be in. A descendant. Of Adam. To know your identity. In Adam. Now.

[29:16] If there's much more. That could be said. But we're going to. Shift gears. Up to this point. It's all been good. Hasn't it? It's wonderful. To be a descendant. Of Adam. To have.

[29:27] This kind of. Difference. Between us. And all the creatures. To rule over it. And to. To have relationship. With God. And. And to have his. Perfect laws. Ordering our life.

[29:38] And keeping us. From. Danger. But now. The Bible. Goes on. To tell me. That though my. Ancestor. Adam. Was created. Upright.

[29:48] And without sin. He nevertheless. Fell into sin. And when he fell. All of his offspring. Also fell. In him. So he had the whole. Human race.

[29:59] Piggybacked. On his back. He was a representative. For us all. And there's the whole. Human race. Piggybacked. On Adam. And when he sinned. He sinned. Not as a.

[30:09] Not as an individual. Alone. But he sinned. For the whole human race. And when he fell. We all fell. In Adam. So. To be a descendant.

[30:21] Of Adam. Then. Is to be. A descendant. Of a sinful. Human being. A sinful. Human being. You know. All of. Adam's children. Were born.

[30:31] After they had sinned. After they had fallen. And Adam. Can only. Give birth. To people. In his own image. If he's perfect.

[30:42] He can give birth. To a perfect child. If he and his wife. Are perfect. They can bear perfect children. But if he's fallen. And sinful. He can only. Give birth. To that which is fallen. The flesh.

[30:52] Gives birth. To flesh. The spirit. Gives birth. To spirit. So who am I? I'm a sinful creature. That's.

[31:02] Where we've come now. At last. I'm a. Descendant. Of a fallen. Adam. It all came about. Through my identity. In Adam. You see. As we read. In Romans 5.

[31:13] 19. Through the disobedience. Of the one man. The many. Were made sinners. Why am I a sinner? Well. What answer do you want?

[31:25] I can say. Because your parents. Were sinners. And we can talk. A long time. Where. Why were they sinners? But eventually. It's going to get back to this. Because Adam sinned. And that's what Paul tells us.

[31:37] In chapter 5. Verse 19. Of Romans. Through the disobedience. Of the one man. And there's no question. He's named in the passage. He's Adam. Through his disobedience. The many. Were made sinners.

[31:50] And just as fathers. Pass on DNA. To their children. So they also pass on. Sinful hearts. A heart that is at enmity. Against God. Who will not submit.

[32:00] To God's laws. So when God's law. Says do this. That heart. Says. I won't. If I don't want to. And when God's law.

[32:11] Says. Don't do that. That heart. We got from Adam. Says. I will. If I want to. And if I. Don't do it. It's not because you told me.

[32:22] Not to. It's just that I don't want to do it. But if I want to. You watch me. I will do it. That's the heart. Romans 8. 7. That we received. From.

[32:33] Our forefather. Adam. And that's why it's true. That all have sinned. And come short of the glory of God. Not. Not just a few. Not most.

[32:45] But every single descendant of. Adam. Save only the Lord Jesus Christ. Is a sinner.

[32:56] Because they have a sinful heart. So David could write. Surely. I was sinful at birth. Sinful from the time. My mother conceived me. And Isaiah can say.

[33:07] We all like sheep. Have gone astray. We turned each one. To his own way. The psalmist can write. This is why. Even from birth. The wicked go astray. From the womb. They're wayward.

[33:18] And speak lies. And if I understand. My identity. In Adam. A fallen Adam. It explains. My life. Carrie's here today.

[33:28] We never taught her to lie. I assure you. She lied. Because. We gave her a lying heart.

[33:40] And she lied all by herself. You see. With that heart. And you didn't teach your children to lie. You didn't teach your children to steal. Or to be selfish. And this.

[33:52] You see. Explains it. Oh. Okay. Adam gave us. A sinful heart. And it's been passed down. To every one of us. Who comes into this world. And that explains.

[34:05] Why I feel these urges within. To. To love myself. And to forget about the rest of you. And why even as a Christian. I must still battle.

[34:15] With evil thoughts. And desires. And motives. Because as a descendant of Adam. I've received a sinful nature. From him. And though that nature. No longer reigns in the Christian. As we'll see.

[34:25] In the future studies. It still remains. And it's with me. Till. My dying day. And it explains. Why the world. We live in. Is such a mess. Why families.

[34:36] And schools. Are in such trouble. Why our nation. Is in such trouble. It's why we need. Keys. In our pockets. Why we need. Passwords. On our computers.

[34:47] Why we need. Police. And law courts. You'll never understand. Yourself. Or your world. Until you come to terms. With your identity. In Adam. A fallen. Adam. And then it also.

[34:59] Explains. Why I. And everyone around me. Is dying. Why is this? We have a sense. That something's wrong. It's just living.

[35:10] In this world. It's so. Full of the glory. Of God. And we've got. Eighty. Years. Maybe. To. To study it. And to enjoy.

[35:20] God's creation. Do you ever feel like. That's not enough time. Do you ever feel like. As if. Maybe God. Put eternity. Into our hearts.

[35:32] And what do you get. A study in. In eighty years. I like birds. And plants. And I won't get. To the end. Of studying birds. And plants. In eighty years. If I make that.

[35:45] There's eyeballs. And ears. And hearts. And stomachs. Fearfully. And wonderfully. Made. Creatures. That we are. Just. Just ourselves.

[35:56] I could spend. A lifetime. And men do. And women do. Spend a lifetime. Just studying one organ. Of our bodies. That displays. The wonder. And glory. Of God.

[36:08] And there are places. On his earth. That I've never been. And never seen. And there are things. About his world. It's almost. As if we're meant. To live on.

[36:19] And on. And on. That we will never. Get to the bottom. Of studying God. In his works. But we've only got. Eighty years. What happened? You won't understand. If you don't.

[36:30] Realize. I'm a descendant. Of a fallen Adam. And because he sinned. There's death. And that's. That's five. I'm a dying creature. I'm not only a sinful creature. I'm a dying creature. Because the wages of sin.

[36:42] Is death. The soul that sins. It shall die. And Romans 5. Verse 12. Traces our death. Right back. To our identity. With Adam. Therefore. Just as. Sin entered the world.

[36:53] Through the one man. And death. Through sin. And in this way. Death came to all men. Because all. Have sinned. We all sinned.

[37:04] In Adam. You say. I didn't vote for him. No you didn't. But he was still. Representing you. And every other. Descendant of Adam. And you would have done.

[37:16] No better than him. You know how I know that. Because you too. Have chosen to sin. To go your own way. Not a one of us. Have voted. Any differently.

[37:27] Than what Adam did. In the garden. And so. Adam. Opened the door. By sin. And what came through. The door. With sin.

[37:38] Was death. That's how it got into this world. Through sin. And so. By the trespass. Verse 17. By the trespass. Of the one man. Death reigned. Through that one man.

[37:51] And Romans 5. 15. The many died. By the trespass. Of the one man. In Adam. All. Die. Well that. That explains some things.

[38:02] That's helpful for me. I live in a. In a dying body. And in a dying world. With dying people. And I now. Understand that. If I am. A descendant.

[38:12] Of a. Sinful. Dying. Adam. Well. Lastly. As a descendant. Of Adam. I'm not only sinful. And dying creature.

[38:23] I'm a condemned creature. And condemned. Because of who I am. Again. A descendant. Of Adam. A sinner. Romans 5. 16.

[38:33] The result. Of the one man. Sin. Was this. That judgment. Followed. One sin. And brought. Condemnation. Not just upon Adam.

[38:45] But all he. Represented. Romans 5. 18. The result of one. Trespass. Was condemnation. For all men. A lot of Christians.

[38:55] Don't believe that. A lot of Christians. Don't believe that. But look it up. Romans 5. 18. The result.

[39:06] Of one trespass. Was condemnation. For all. Men. And it's not just talking about. Being condemned to die.

[39:16] Yes that. But condemned to hell. Which is the second death. The lake of fire. It's not only separation. Of our body and soul. Which is. Our first death. But it's the separation.

[39:28] Body and soul. From God. Forever and ever. In a place called hell. Separate from God's. Love. And mercy. Not a drop of mercy.

[39:41] It's a frightful thing. When we hear of lost people dying. Sometimes they. They leave behind comforts. Unbelievable comforts. They're wealthy.

[39:51] They're living in their. Their luxury. And their heart beats. For the last time. And they take their last breath. And they go to a place. Where there is no. Mercy.

[40:02] Only agony. Through the. Sin of the one man. Condemnation. For all men.

[40:14] So what do you need to do. To be condemned by God. Absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing. For if you haven't been. Savingly joined to Jesus Christ. By faith.

[40:25] You see you're condemned. Already in Adam. You're already a part of that. Fallen human race. You not only inherited Adam's. Sinful nature. That chooses to sin. But you also.

[40:37] Inherited Adam's. Sentence of condemnation. He was. Representing you. Acting on your behalf. And you are condemned. In Adam. And that's what Jesus said. In John 3.

[40:47] 318. Whoever believes in him. That is the son of man. Is not condemned. But whoever does not believe. Stands condemned already. Because he has not believed. In the name of God's one and only son.

[40:59] God's wrath. Remains. On him. It's already. Remaining. On you. In Adam. Sin.

[41:11] In Adam. Death. In Adam. Condemnation. So who am I? The first thing we learn from God's word. Is I'm a human being. A descendant of Adam. And can you see how important it is.

[41:23] To understand my identity then. In Adam. We're going to come to our identity in Christ. But let's start here. Since that's where the Bible starts. And that's where I start. In this world.

[41:35] My identity. In Adam. Apart from. Understanding this. I won't think correctly. About myself. Or about my creator. That I am an image of God creature.

[41:46] And therefore I'm dependent on him. And I'm accountable to him. And I'm called to be morally like him. And why I am the way that I am. In so many image of God ways. That we spoke of.

[41:58] I get that. From my sense of. Being. A descendant of Adam. And if I don't understand that. I won't think correctly. Correctly about every one of you.

[42:09] And everybody else. That shares the planet with me. I'm supposed to live in. A loving relation. I'm supposed to love you. Like I love myself. Well. I now see that.

[42:19] Why? Because we're one. We're. We're. We're family. We're. We're human race. Family tree. Together. Together. And I won't see. That difficult person.

[42:31] And that person that's different from me. As my brother. My sister. In the one human race. Unless I see myself in Adam. I won't see them as equals in significance. And. And therefore.

[42:42] To be treated. With love. And respect. And I won't see that all human life. Is to be. Valued. From the very beginning of it.

[42:53] In the womb. To the very end of it. When old. And weak. And needy. When they can't do anything. For themselves. It's still. Life in the image of God. And deserves dignity.

[43:05] And respect. And if I don't understand my identity. In Adam. I will not only. Not understand myself. And God. And won't relate to the world. Correctly. But I won't know what's wrong with me.

[43:19] And the world. Why I'm dying. Why I've got these wicked thoughts. And desires. And motives inside. Why. Why I have this love affair with self.

[43:29] And forgetfulness of others. I won't understand my moral inability. I want to keep God's law perfectly. But I find that when I would do good. There's something evil.

[43:40] Always there. Ready. To fight me. Why is that? I won't understand that. I won't understand. My greatest problem in life. Is that I not only need God.

[43:52] To sustain my life. And my existence. But. I now need him to save me. Not from my humanness. No. He never saves us from our humanness.

[44:02] God has no quarrel. With our humanness. That's what he made us to be. No. I need a savior. To save me. From my fallenness. My sinfulness.

[44:14] My death. And condemnation. Hanging over my head. I need to be saved from the ways. That my humanity. Has been marred. And defiled. And polluted. By sin. And its curse.

[44:24] I need. A savior. To deliver me. From my separation. From God. Which is the essence of hell. To be shut off. From his presence. And you see.

[44:34] I won't understand. Where all these things. Came from. Sin. Death. Condemnation. Unless I understand. Where I came from. Came from Adam.

[44:46] A fallen Adam. A descendant. Of a sinful man. That's who I am. But we're headed. Next time.

[44:56] Lord willing. To see. That there is another. Representative man. And he is Jesus Christ. The eternal son of God. Who 2000 years ago. Became what? A human being.

[45:07] Just like us. But not like us. In the sense. That he had no sin. So here's the perfect. Human being. He comes.

[45:17] As the only perfect man. And shows us. What man was created to be. Study Jesus. If you would understand. Who was I. Meant to be. What am I meant to be like?

[45:29] Well. You are meant to be. A human being. Well. What does that look like? Well. We see some of it. In Genesis 1 to 3. And in Adam. And so. But you'll see it in perfection.

[45:41] In the Lord Jesus. And in him alone. We see him. Living in perfect dependence. Upon his heavenly father. So when he's in trouble. What does he do?

[45:51] He prays. And commits himself. By faith. Into the hands. Of his faithful creator. Amazing. Perfect dependence. We see his accountability. To his father. Perfect obedience.

[46:02] To his commands. This is what a human being. Was made to do. To enjoy life. This is the good life. Watch Jesus. Learn from Jesus. Perfect relationship. With his God.

[46:12] With his fellow men. He alone qualifies. Then. To be the savior of sinners. To be the substitute. In our place. So he himself. Is our greatest need. As a fallen people.

[46:23] To redeem us. Back. To a right relationship. With God. It's through Christ. That we receive. A supernatural birth. We're born again. And get a new heart.

[46:35] With new desires. It's through Jesus. Perfect obedience. That he now has a righteousness. To give. To every believing sinner. The very righteousness. We need to be right with God.

[46:45] And to enter heaven. He now has it to give. He worked it out. By his perfect obedience. As a man. Every bit as much. A man as you are. A human. And by taking our sin.

[46:57] And guilt. And condemnation. Upon himself. And bearing. The curse. Of God's wrath. That we deserve. He sets us free. From that curse. And our sins are forgiven.

[47:09] And there is no condemnation. Left for us. Who are in Christ Jesus. And by his resurrection. From the dead. We too have a living hope. Don't we? That death is not the end. For us.

[47:19] That he who raised Jesus. From the dead. Will raise us up also. And will take us into a new heaven. And a new earth. The home of righteousness. Where forever we will be with the Lord.

[47:32] And as the redeemed. We now have a message to tell to the nations. Don't we? Of our savior Jesus. And his love for sinners. And all he's done to save sinners. We don't have one message for one kind of people.

[47:46] And another message for another kind. It's one thing you notice in the New Testament. There wasn't one message for the Jews. And another for the Gentiles. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Said Paul.

[47:56] For it is the power of God unto salvation. For everyone who believes. To the Jew first. But also. For the ethnos. The nations. The Gentiles.

[48:07] One gospel you see. The same gospel. We all share the same father. Adam. We all have the same great problem. Of sin, guilt and condemnation.

[48:18] In Adam. We all need the same one and only savior Jesus. And so we can go to any person on the planet. And say whoever you are. Whatever you've done. I have good news for you. Jesus loves sinners.

[48:31] And he delights to show mercy. To all who will come to him. And renounce their past life of sin. And trust in Jesus Christ alone. To save them from it.

[48:42] One is the race of mankind. Under sin's condemnation. One is the gospel that frees us from death's domination. One is our task.

[48:54] Sin. Death and hell. To unmask. Showing God's way. Of salvation. One race. One gospel.

[49:05] One task. Let's stand and sing this to one another. And stir each other up. That we might be pointing folks to. Our great savior. From the overhead.

[49:16] Won the race. Our father and our maker.

[49:29] We thank you for the truth of your word. That comes like light. A bolt of light from heaven. Into the darkness of this world. And into the darkness of our minds.

[49:39] And tells us who we are. And explains life to us. The realities that we can't escape. That we're creatures.

[49:49] We've been made. We're not dependent on ourselves. We can't cope. We were never meant to live apart from you. And we. We feel this so keenly.

[50:03] Oh Lord. We thank you for that awareness. That you've given us. Bring others to that awareness. That they were never meant to live their lives on their own. Forgetful of you.

[50:14] And draw them. To the Lord Jesus. To trust in him. And taste this. This newness of life. That he has brought. To. To any who will believe in him.

[50:26] So we thank you. That we're not animals. We're not trees or stones today. We are. We are people. Made in your own image. And made to appreciate you.

[50:37] And the gospel. Send us then. On our way rejoicing. But also. Ready to tell others. About this wonderful salvation. That is good for them.

[50:49] As it is for us. We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen.