May the Lord be pleased to bless
us together this morning as we consider his word. Let us turn
to the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians chapter 15
and reading verse 22. The first epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians chapter 15 and reading verse 22. For as in Adam all die even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. In a very few words that this
verse contains, we observe the truth really of the whole gospel. Because it takes us back to Adam. It takes us back to the Garden
of Eden. It takes us back to the beginning
when sin entered into the world. And then it leads us and directs
us to the only way of salvation. And it directs us then to the
Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, just a few words
are very comprehensive in their fullness. And it would be a good
thing if all of us naturally understand it and are spiritually
blessed by that understanding and realise how important it
is. And therefore the statement here is, for as in Adam, all
die. No one is excluded from the first
part of this verse. For as in Adam all die. Of course that has a double meaning. It has a natural meaning and
it has a spiritual meaning. And it was through the sin of
Eve and Adam in that Garden of Eden which brought death. If there had been no sin, there
would have been no death. But because sin occurred, and
that sin was disobedience, that was the sin which Adam and Eve
committed in the Garden of Eden, disobedience to the Word of God. They were told They were not
allowed to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And they were told in the day that occurred they would die.
God was very clear in the statement he made. And God never lies. And God never varies. He is the
same yesterday and today and forever. We remember the sad account that
Adam and Eve submitted to the enticing of the devil in the
form of a serpent. And they ate of the fruit of
the tree. And so, through that single action,
through that simple action really, sin entered into the world. And
because of that, death entered into the world. And not only
therefore is everyone who is born into this world sure to
die naturally, they are born into this world in a spirit of
deadness spiritually. And therefore it was really the
most tragic moment in the history of the world when Eve took and
ate of that fruit. We should never think in our
lives that we are at liberty to disobey anything that God
has said. We should never think that it
is not something important because If we perhaps think of it, I'm
not trying to belittle this in any way, but we might think perhaps
that that which Eve did was relatively small. There is really no such thing
as a small sin. Sin is sin. And sometimes we
may think that we can do something and get away with it. We can
think, well I can just indulge in that particular wrong. And it may be that our heart
is informing us of the wrongness of such a thing. And yet we think,
well I just like to do that and I can just get away with it.
Perhaps, well perhaps is a very wrong understanding. Because
we will never get away. with sin. Sin is sin and it is
offending the law of a holy and righteous God. And one sin, one
sin is sufficient to cause us to spend eternity in hell. Just one sin. Yes, just one sin. How many sins have you committed?
How many sins have I committed? Well, without number. But they
are definitely way beyond one sin. And one sin is sin which
is sufficient to condemn us to eternal punishment for that sin. You see, God is a righteous and
a just God. And God, therefore, is perfectly
right to punish sin. He is perfectly right to punish
one sin. And that's where we stand, naturally,
because we are born in sin and shapen in iniquity. And you and
I are in that place of condemnation. We are under the condemnation
of God every single one of us. So this word speaks to us like
this, for as in Adam, all die. And that's where we all are,
by nature. And if we remain in that situation,
if we stay in that place, then when we die, which we shall. We shall die unforgiven. We shall die condemned by sin. We shall never be able to justify
ourselves. We shall be condemned before
a holy and a righteous God and we will not have any excuse on
that great day of judgement for any leniency before our God. we will be condemned to everlasting
punishment in hell. Surely that is a fearful consideration,
isn't it? It must be a fearful consideration. And yet, true as it is, we live
in an age, well of course it's got to come all down through
the ages, when people are willing to listen to the devil rather
than to listen to God. They are more prepared to try
and make excuses for their sin and continue in their sin rather
than seeking unto the Lord for forgiveness. So many people today
care nothing for the things of God are not concerned about their
eternal state and have no desire to repent of their sin. Well, the truth is, if we continue
unforgiving, if we continue as a condemned person, then it is
a fearful thing to end our lives without knowing the Lord Jesus
Christ as our only Saviour, because we shall then pass out of time
into eternity, where we shall have to endure the wrath of God
for sin, forever and forever and forever. So let us never,
never think we can get away with anything. Let us never, as it
were, trifle, think these things are not so important. The devil
will try and produce in our hearts Thoughts, well, these things,
they may be important, but I'm going to continue in my life.
I don't want to give up this. I don't want to give up that.
I don't want to really have to serve the Lord. I want to continue
serving myself and enjoy myself in this life. You know, people
say, I've heard them say, I'm going to live life to the full. And my friends, that life is
an empty, empty void, because it comes to an end. And however
much people may endeavour, as they say, to live life to the
full, there is no fullness, really, in this life. It is an empty
shell. It is a void. There is no real
happiness, there is no real satisfaction. Well, we can be thankful for
the things that God gives us, the many things we have to enjoy,
our families, our friends, and the comforts of our homes. We
can thank God for that and also, like this morning, we have a
lovely sunshiny morning, we can thank God for that and it's good
to be thankful for all these natural things. But the great
and important thing is to realise that we are safe for eternity. The great thing is to know that
we are forgiven, that our sins have been taken away. Because
no sinner can enter heaven. Heaven is a holy place. Sin does
not exist there. There is no sin in heaven. It's
a holy place. And therefore, if you and I were
to go there as an unforgiven sinner, we would not be permitted
to enter in because sin cannot enter there. And so it is so
absolutely vital that all of us are forgiven sinners. All of us. are blessed with the
knowledge of forgiveness as we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So here we have this statement
before us. For as in Adam all die. And the previous verse just gives
us the truth. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The Word of God
doesn't leave us in a vacuum. The Word of God condemns. The Word of God directs us to
our need of salvation. But the Word of God also directs
us to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so today, we are
able to preach the whole gospel, the whole counsel of God. Sometimes I think of those days
before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes I try
to imagine myself walking perhaps the streets of Jerusalem and
perhaps observing the magnificence of the temple and all the wonderful
carvings and all the wonderful facings of gold, and then to
know the great view there was of those sacrifices
and the various elements that the temple contained. And what
would I have really thought? What would I have really considered?
Well, would I have realised my need of salvation? Well, I expect
the Spirit of God would have clearly indicated that. But where
would I have looked? What would I have done? Clearly, there had been the need
for a Messiah. One who would come and save the
Church from their sins. And yet, you see, the view of
the Saviour was so hidden in the Old Testament, in all those
ceremonies which were so directed to Christ, yes, they were just
a shadow. There was no clear evidence,
there was just an outline. Sometimes I think, how would
I have responded? Well, today, you and I are wonderfully
blessed wonderfully blessed with the revelation, the complete
revelation of God's will for His Church, and the complete
revelation of what all those Old Testament prophecies directed
us to, and they direct us to, of course, the great Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what a blessing, isn't it,
for us today, to have these things spelt out to us so clearly in
the New Testament. We don't see things as types
and shadows. We have them revealed to us so
clearly in the New Testament. But my friends, although they
are so clearly revealed to us, You and I need, and you and I
need desperately, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God,
the third person in the Trinity, to reveal the truth and the need
of a Saviour and to direct us individually to the need we have
of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only one who can save our souls
from that condemnation. The only one that can deliver
you and me from the wrath to come. So how important it is,
how utterly relevant it is, that you and I might have a good understanding
of a truth, of this truth, even so in Christ, shall all be made
alive. Now there are two different alls
in this verse. The first all speaks about everybody
who has come into this world. The first all speaks about everybody
who has come into this world. The second all speaks about those
who are in Christ Jesus. those who are called, those who
are chosen. The second all is the vital and
all-important all that you and I need to know has a reference
to your life and my life, that we are amongst those who are
spelt out like this, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
There is only life to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no spiritual life outside
of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way of salvation. It is only through the Lord Jesus
Christ. and therefore how vitally important
it is for you and me to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our
personal Saviour. That you and I have personal
dealings with the Lord Jesus Christ. That you and I have a
personal knowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ has indeed come
into this world and died on our behalf. We read together the truth that
the Lord Jesus Christ was so needful. We read, wherefore as
by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so
death passed upon all men for that all have sinned." And then as we stopped and hesitated,
and we're on that fifth chapter, there's that number of verses
in brackets, but just moving on, he then says, the Apostle
then says, therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came
upon all men to condemnation. We must recognize that. And because
when the Spirit of God condemns us because of our sin, what it
means is when the Word of God is applied to our hearts, it
is then we realise that we are guilty and that we are helpless. We are impotent to do anything
good because of that sin. which dwells within. For if by
one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which
receive, receive abundance of grace. And that means of course
free unmerited favour. And it's spoken of like this,
abundance of grace. We think of that line of the
hymn, a fullness resides in Jesus our head, whichever resides to
answer our need. Oh, bless God today, there is
a fullness residing in Christ. So we have this important and
powerful word, even so by the righteousness of one. The free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Yes, the free gift. The abundance of grace in this
was the free gift. Even so, by the righteousness
of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life. Isn't that a wonderful thought?
That you and I, who have nothing to pay, We can't pay for our
salvation. We can't pay for it. You may
remember, there was that account in the Acts of the Apostles of
that man who was called Simon. He was a sorcerer and he thought
he could purchase the gift of God. He thought he could pay
for it. And Peter told him, there is
neither part nor lot in this matter. because thy heart is
not right." He didn't understand the gift of God. He thought he
could purchase it with money. My friends, we cannot. We have
nothing to pay. We are empty. We have no currency
that we can pay to obtain salvation. But here we have this great and
glorious work, the free gift, the free gift came upon all men
unto salvation. I cannot but surely just refer
to those wonderful words that the Prophet Isaiah spoke, Ho
everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
hath no money Come ye, buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Now when you and I recognize
our condition before God of a bankrupt, that means we have nothing, nothing
to bring to God, we are a bankrupt. We may feel like that under the
condemnation of God, We have nothing to bring. All we have
is our sin. Then to hear encouraging words,
because if we're in that condition by the Spirit of God, condemned
under His holy righteous law, what will be the effect? Well
the effect will be this. We'll be thirsting. We'll be
thirsting. Thirsting for that eternal water
will be thirsting, and then to hear a word on this whole, everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money,
hath nothing to bring, come ye, buy and eat, ye come, buy wine
and milk without money and without price, surely That is good news
to a needy sinner, is it not? Is it not good news? And so we
have this statement here, the free gift. Oh, it's wonderful
to know what it is to have the free gift. Paul tells us the
wages of sin is death. And we know what it is, but the
gift of God is eternal life. How? Through Jesus Christ our
Lord. It's a free gift. He gives the
gift of eternal life. What value. What a present that
is, isn't it? Try and evaluate it. How valuable
is the gift of eternal life? There is nothing that comes anywhere
close to it. Any present that you and I can
receive, any gift that you and I can receive, doesn't come anywhere
close to this gift of eternal life. And it is the one thing
that you and I must have. The gift of eternal life. So, for since by man came death,
by man, who is this man? Who is this man? the Lord Jesus
Christ. The question must be then, do
you know this man? Do I know this man? Do we behold
this man, the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we know him as our Saviour? You know the Apostle in this
fifth chapter, having gone either side of these verses in brackets,
We then have a little insight into what the Apostle is driving
at. He tells us, for until the law, sin was in the world, but
sin is not imputed when there is no law. When the law spells
it out, then we know it is imputed to us. Nevertheless, he said,
nevertheless, death did reign from Adam to Moses, that time
between the creation or when Adam fell, and the time that
the law was given to Moses. Nevertheless, death reigned from
death of Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the submissitude of Adam's transgression, that hadn't partaken
of the fruit, but that had sinned, who is the figure of that which
was to come. But not as the offence, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offence of
one many be dead, Much more, the grace of God, and the gift
by grace, which is by one man, one man only, this man. It's only one man, my friends,
who can save our souls. It's only one man. For if, to
the offence of one, many be dead, much more the grace of God and
the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded
unto many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift. For the judgment was by one to
condemnation. But the free gift is of many
offences unto justification. If we receive this gift of eternal
life, we are justified. Not because what we have done.
but we justify because of what Christ has done. For if by one
man's offence death reigns by one, much more they which receive
abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one Jesus Christ. We have here the development
and the fullness of this great and glorious truth to realise
that if we are the recipients of the grace of God, the free
unmerited favour, there is an abundance of it. It is tremendous. It is a tremendous extent. To such unworthy sinners, there
is an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.
We receive His righteousness, that spotless robe of righteousness,
and it clothes us and to realise that we are completing Him. Oh then, to realise what this
chapter concluded with, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I hope, my friends, we have
the thrust of this great, important, glorious truth, and that although
we are sinners, and there's no way out of that, we have sinned,
we've come short of the glory of God, we've offended the law
of God, we've sinned, but the glorious gospel truth is here
today, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Therefore,
all those for whom Christ has died shall be made alive. Shall be made alive. Eternal
life. We shall never perish. Eternal
life. This is the vital truth that
you and I must know. And therefore, to have the grace
of God revealing to us First of all I need, and then directing
us to the Saviour. And what do we see in Jesus?
What do we see? We see that He has taken the
curse upon Himself, the curse of sin. He's obeyed the law,
the holy law of God, which we failed to do. We failed to do.
The Saviour's kept that holy law of God, and therefore He's
made it honourable. It is honourable. And he's kept
it on behalf of his church. And therefore, bless and praise
God, he stands in our place. He's bore the punishment instead. The blessed Saviour, even so
in Christ, shall all be made alive. And it's through his great
and glorious death, when he's satisfied the holy demands the
Lord God. He finished the work His Father
gave Him to do. He shed His sin-atoning blood
upon that cross at Calvary. He gave His life for our life. He took our sins. He gave us
His righteousness. He took our life. He gave us
His life. eternal life. Now my friends,
surely the reason for our gathering here today is to hear about Jesus. Surely our reason for gathering
here today is to know that Christ has died for our sins. Surely our reason we're here
today is to know that we are alive in Christ. We are spiritually alive and
to be numbered amongst those that the Apostle Paul speaks
of. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and
in sins. We've all been dead. This morning,
are we alive unto God? Do we know Christ as our only
Saviour? Because the blessing is. Oh,
it is a wonderful thought, is it not? If we are in Christ,
if we receive His grace, eternal blessings are ours. And my friends,
without that, Eternal death, eternal misery is ours. Do we
come this morning and say, Oh Lord, give me Christ or else
I die. Let us not settle down. Let us
not be satisfied with anything less than knowing the great and
blessed and glorious Saviour as our Saviour. The hymn writer
says, to know my Jesus crucified by far excels all things beside. Oh my friends, may all of us
come into the fullness of that statement. Not something we can
earn or develop ourselves, but it is through the grace of God
My friends, as you and I may enter into it, it is a blessing
which exceeds everything that this world can bring. And so
may we thank God today for such a word as this, for as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Amen.