Open your Bibles with me to the
book of Romans again, chapter 5 this time. And I was blessed, greatly blessed,
by the reading of God's Word, Joe. You read so well, and it
just preaches while you read that fourth chapter. I thought
while he was reading and when he finished, that's a sermon
in itself. It just preaches itself, God's
Word. It won't return unto him void.
it shall accomplish that whereunto he hath sent it, and that which
pleaseth him." Let me read another verse here in Romans 5, verse
20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, where
sin abounded, where sin just overflowed, exceeding sinfulness
of sin, the great abundance of sin, the whole world of sin,
where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, much more. Thank God. In our Bible classes
this week, we've been studying three little booklets written
and printed by a pastor in North Carolina. And they're very good,
they're excellent. On Monday morning, we spent two
hours in the adult Bible class in the study of God. That's the
little book, it was entitled God. His perfections, His glory. God, His holiness. His sovereignty
in all things, from creation to salvation. His righteousness. both his essential righteousness
and that which he has prepared and purposed and purchased through
his blood for us and his goodness. And what an enlightening experience
it was. What a joyful time. And Brother
Coffee and Sandy and Doris and some of the teachers are staying
in that book all week with their young people. Just such a refreshing
experience to study the Word of God about our God, our God. The child of God can never hear
enough about his Father. The child of God can never praise
the Father too much. He never gets wearier hearing
about His glory and His perfections and His mercies and His grace.
I'm never wearier hearing about the Lord God. And then Tuesday morning we entered
the second book, little booklet, and the title of this booklet
was Man and Sin. We studied Monday for two hours
about God and His beauties and glory, and then Tuesday morning
I got up here before my class and I opened the book entitled
Man and Sin. Creation of man in the image
of God, by the hand of God, by the word of God, man's state
before the fall. We talked about that a little
bit. And then we talked about the fall, and the results of
that fall, and the condition of all men in Adam. And for nearly
two hours, we talked about the exceeding sinfulness of sin. And while I taught Monday morning
about the glory of God, and it just seemed like the presence
of God was here, and it was just like Jacob's ladder had an opening
to the throne. But then we got into this subject
of sin. It's a different atmosphere.
It brings you into another feeling and experience. And we read scripture
after scripture after scripture concerning the nature of sin
and the corruption of sin and the depravity of sin. I mean
the total depravity of human nature and the wickedness and
sinfulness of human hearts. We just pried into the experience
of sinners by nature and sinners according to the Word of God.
We did that Tuesday morning for almost two hours. And there's
so much in the Word of God about sin, we didn't finish the book.
We didn't get through. In fact, we didn't get halfway
through it. So I went home Tuesday from Bible school, worked on
a Sunday school lesson, a bulletin, and then Tuesday night, I began
working on my class material for Wednesday morning. And I planned to go back into
that book again on sin, sin and its guilt. Sin and its results. Sin and its malice. Sin and its
corruption. Sin and the condemnation of God
upon it. One more time, Wednesday morning,
this morning, I was going to open the human heart with the
sword of the Word of God and take another peek in there, you
know. And I was sitting there in my chair, preparing the lesson,
and I got so depressed. I got so depressed, honestly,
Joe. It just felt like a cloud descended
over me. So depressed. And I thought,
I can't go through another session on sin. That's exactly, I almost
talked out loud. They say that's when it's dangerous,
when you start talking to yourself. No, it's when you answer yourself. And I thought, I can't bear to
go through another session talking about sin. I just can't put up
with two more hours of this rottenness of human nature. I must get to
Christ. That's the way I felt. I must
get to Christ in this study. I've got to get to some light
instead of probing so much in the darkness. I've got to get
to life instead of looking around among the tombs. And you know, when I sat there
and thought about that, I thought about our congregations. And is it not possible that that
we preachers can overwork this subject of sin? You know, our people need to
hear about Christ. I know they need to hear these
other things, and we give a proper attention to it. But someone
said for every look that you take in the human heart, take
a hundred looks to the throne of Christ. At least that many. I must preach Christ. I must
preach the hope and the rest and the peace that we have in
Him. Enough, I thought, enough of sinning. Enough. More, more about Jesus would
I know. More of His love and grace to
others show. See what I'm talking about? Look at this verse again that
I've selected for a text. It says where sin abounded, and
it did. It did. And I know this. I've read some of the old writers
and the old Puritans, and I know these things are so. Where there's
no need, there'll be no healing. I know that. I know a man must
be lost to be saved. Plum lost. I know that a man
has to be naked to want to be clothed, and he's got to realize
his sinfulness to seek forgiveness. Our Lord said, the Son of Man's
come to seek and to save that which was lost. And He said when
the Pharisees complained about His association with sinners,
He said, well, don't need a doctor. People are sick. I didn't come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repent. Go learn what that
means. And I know He said to whom much
is forgiven, he'll love much. Oh, the grace, how great a debtor.
daily constrained to thee. Let thy goodness like a fetter
bind my wandering heart to thee." And I know what Mr. Spurgeon
said, a whole, a man's whole system, a man's whole system
of theology is determined by what he understands about the
fall. A man's whole system of theology.
If he starts wrong, he'll be wrong at the end. That's just
good sense. And Paul continually talked about
his guilt. He kept saying that, what you
quoted yesterday, John, O wretched man that I am, O wretched man,
who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He said he
was the chief of sinners. But, regarding all that, knowing
all that, experiencing all that, Being constantly aware of all
that, thank God there's a fountain filled with blood. Drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
and sinners, real, genuine, bona fide sinners, plunge beneath
that flood, lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty
stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day. There may I, I know, vow as he. But wash my sins away. Ever since my faith, I saw that
stream. His flowing wounds supply, redeeming
love. Is that our theme? Redeeming
love has been my theme. Not just the condition of sinners,
not just the depravity of the heart, not just the results of
the fall, redeeming love has been my theme and will be till
I die. Thank God, the blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth us from all sin. One of my dear beloved brothers
brought a message at a conference not long ago on Consider. That was the title, Good Message,
Consider. And he brought out this message,
Consider Thyself. And then the second brought was
Consider Christ Jesus. Let's don't spend near as much
time considering ourselves as we do Christ Jesus. You're not
worth the attention. He is. It's more important to
consider the remedy than the disease. It's a whole lot... You know, if a man comes into
the doctor's office and the doctor spends 45 minutes talking about
what's wrong with him, but he says, I know what's wrong with
me. I need help. Tell me what you can do for me.
And we get sinners in the congregation, and do we spend more time talking
about what's wrong with them than who can make it right? Does
that make sense? I think we do sometimes. We spend
more time talking about what's wrong than who can make it right. Talking about the disease rather
than the cure. Thank God you who were far off
are made not by the blood of Christ. Thank God He of God is
made unto us. wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. Thank God, He who knew no sin
was made sin for us, that we might be made the holiness of
God in Him. David said there's a river. Yeah,
there's a stain, but there's a river. There's a famine, but there's
a river, Charlie. There's a drought, but there's
a river. There is, thank God, there's a river. Let's talk about
the river. The streams whereof shall make
glad the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacles
of the Most High. Where sin abounded. I never deny
that. I can't as long as I live. I
can't as long as I'm who I am. I can as long as I'm what I am.
I can't deny that. But thank God, grace did much
more now. Let me give you four or five
illustrations of that. Look at Adam. Look at Adam in the garden. A noble creature. I've thought
quite a bit about what Adam must have been like. God himself. God the great artist. God the
great architect of the universe. God the great creator. God the
builder of the universe. God made Adam, personally. God made him out of the dust
of the earth. And he made him to be supreme
among the creatures. of all his creatures, he waited
to create this one to last, in the image of God, and the lions
crouched at his feet. The king of the jungle lies at
the feet of Adam like a tame house cat, and the
tigers sport about with him and jump among the trees and the
rocks and run in front of him as he walks in the And the beautiful
doves, so shy and timid, circle down and lie on his shoulders,
and he gives them something to eat at them. And all the animals come at his
call, and he stands naked and unashamed in strength and beauty
and holiness, perfect health, perfect heart, and perfect happiness. And that's something, you ever
thought about that? You ought to, because you're going to be
made one of these days even greater than that in the image of Christ
forever. But sin enters this garden and
enters this man willfully, willfully, on purpose. He was not deceived.
And he fell. And now look at him. I'm his descendant. Look at me.
Tired and old and wrinkled and dying and decaying and frail
and weak and ignorant. Even all of creation turns on
him. Dogs bark at him. Birds flap
on him. Lions tear him apart. Somebody
said God's creatures took up God's arguments with man. Man
walks down the street, and even little old five-year-old dogs
bark at him. Everything, every creature despises him. He's the
enemy. Dead and dying. Sin has permeated
the whole world because of that man. Well, has sin the full and final
victory? Looks like it, doesn't it? Oh,
it sure looks like it. But that's where this verse applies
now, but where sin did overflow, and where sin abounded, where
sin came in and conquered this great creation and this special
man, and all of nature, grace did much more abound. Our Lord,
in the midst of all that darkness, shone this mighty ray of light,
the seed of shall bruise the serpent's head one of these days,
where sin abounded, look like sin won the full victory, the
final victory. My Lord said, the final victory
is mine. One day, even death shall be
conquered. There'll be no more death, there'll
be no more tears, there'll be no more pain, there'll be no
more sorrow. One day, God's gonna make a new heaven and a new earth.
because of that man, Christ Jesus. The second type I would give
you is something over here in Romans 5, 12. If you take a look,
Adam, our representative. And you know the thing about
this man Adam in the garden, when he fell, he didn't fall
alone. No sir. When he fell, he took
billions with him. Billions with him. You see, when
Adam stood, He stood the representative and federal head of the whole
human race, male, female, Jew, Gentile, white and black, old
and young. He is every man's representative.
It says here in verse 12, Wherefore, as by one man, one solitary single
man, sin entered into this world, and death, disease, destruction,
by sin, so that death passed on all men, you too. Me too. That sin just came in, imputed,
imparted, in nature and spirit, in will and personality, in emotions,
within and without, nothing about us not contaminated. For when
He sinned, we sinned. Not only death came, but look
at verse 18, Therefore by the offense of one judgment came.
Judgment! condemnation. We don't have an
alibi, an argument, or an excuse. We don't have an appeal nor a
day in court. Jim, the trial's over. Man's
not on probation. You know, a lot of people think
man's born into this world on probation. I beg your pardon.
We're born condemned. Christ said, I didn't come into
the world to condemn the world. He was already condemned. When
Adam failed, his whole world was brought unto judgment, the
wrath and judgment and condemnation of a holy God. And not only that,
verse 19 says, by that one man's disobedience, I was made a sinner. I do what I do because he did
what he did. Adam was the only man that became
a sinner by what he did. What I do is because I'm a sinner.
Well, has sin won the final victory? Looks that way, but wait. There's
another Adam. Did you know that? There's another
Adam. Let's talk about that first bird
that failed. And let's talk about the one
that didn't fail. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Here's
the good news. Bless God. Thank God there's
another Adam. We got another shot at it. You know, you go out, some of
these fellas in here play golf. And you go out there and you
got your You're chipped up on the green, and you're lying two,
and you're putting for a birdie. And the ball's laying about eight
feet from the cup, Paul. You'll appreciate this. You've
done this a lot of times. Ball about eight feet from the
cup, and you get ready, and you putt, and you miss it. And then
you stand back and lay down and putt again. It drops every time.
That second ball always falls in the hole. You say, well, why
can't I do the second time what I did the first? You can't do
it. That first Adam failed. Totally missed the mark. But
I won't tell you that second Adam. That second Adam did not
fail. Listen to this. It says in verse
21 of 1 Corinthians 15, For since by man came death, by man came
the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alone. That first Adam plunged
us into death. That second Adam gave us life.
Verse 22 says, as in that first Adam, we died, died the death
of sin, died the death of death, spiritual death, eternal death,
but thank God in Christ shall all who are in Christ be made
alive. But that's not all. Look at verse
47. The first man, you see, is of
the earth, earthy. The first man is of the earth,
earthy. Dost thou up to dust, if I return? The second Adam, the second man,
who is he? He's the Lord from heaven. He
can't fail. As is the earthy, such are they
that are earthy." That's us, by birth, by nature. But, oh,
thank God, as is the heavenly, such are they that have been
born again, that have been made righteous in Christ. And verse
49 says, as we borne the image of Adam, the earthy, by his grace
we're going to bear the image of the heavenly. That's where
sin abounded. Grace! Where sin, through that
of abounding, overflowed and took everything in its path.
Thank God the grace of Christ did much more abound. Here's the third illustration.
Go back to Romans 5, and I saw something here that I think is
important. Verse 20 of Romans 5. It says,
"...moreover the law entered." You see that? Look at it. "...moreover
the law," the law of God, "...entered, that the offense, the guilt,
the shame, the sin might abound." What's that mean? What's that
mean? Y'all have children, and you
know if you give your child no commandments, if you give your
child no instructions, if you give your child no rules, none
at all, he can't disobey you. Don't tell him anything to do,
and he won't disobey you. Don't give him any rules, any
regulations, or any commands. He won't disobey you. But, as
soon as you give him a command, As soon as you give him an order,
his natural inclination is revealed. He's a rebel. You didn't find
it out until you told him to do something. See what I'm talking
about? And like your little child, you
all just get along so well, as long as you don't tell him to
do anything. As long as you don't tell him to shut his mouth, or
as long as you don't tell him to pick up the toys. Let him
throw them around. Don't sit there like a dumb.
He don't say anything. Now Tim, pick up the toys. He turns into a monster. That
sweet little thing turns into a monster. All you did was tell
him to pick up the toys. The law entered and sin abounded. That's what that means, Joe.
You told him to do something. You told him not to do something.
And the more you learn of God's commands, the more you learn
of God's law, the more you learn of God's truth, the bigger sinner
you become. It's just the opposite of what
some folks think. The more I read God's law, the
better I am. No, sir. The more you read God's law,
the wickeder you are. That's right, because the law
comes in there and exposes. Paul said, I didn't know sin
until the law came. I didn't know what it was. I
didn't know what sin was until I ran into God. Then I found out what a policeman
comes with a subpoena. See, the law is like a policeman.
And it comes with a warrant and says, I'm looking for a criminal.
You say, no criminal lives here. I'm a good boy. The policeman
says, I think there's a criminal here. So he searches you inwardly. And you know what you find out?
You're the one he's looking for. Yeah, you're the one he's looking
for. The law has found you. When it comes in, sin abounds. That's what it says. More and
more in it. Oh, my soul. Some preacher comes
along, faithfully preaches the Word of God, and people get lost.
You see, the word faithfully preached gets people lost before
it gets them saved. It exposes the criminal. Well,
will sin triumph? The law comes in. Will sin triumph? Oh, no. Will I be led away? Will the policemen take me and
lead me away to get my justice? Oh, no. Wait a minute, policemen.
Hold it right there, Lord. See, y'all know that cross? There's
my substitute, and he's bearing all my guilt, and all my shame,
and all my evil, and all my corruption, and the law's got him. You've
got to let me go. The law arrested him, and tried
him, and found him guilty, and nailed him to the cross, and
I've got to be set free, because where sin abounded, His grace
did much more than that. Payment God's justice cannot
twice demand. first at my bleeding shirter's
hand, then again at mine. Here's the fourth illustration.
I'll take you there in the garden, and there stands our blessed
Redeemer with His disciples. And here comes those palace policemen
and those chief priests and the Sadducees and Pharisees and the
temple guards and They got swords and spears, and they got torches,
and they're led by a traitor called Judas. And they come there
in that garden. Our Lord steps out to meet them
and says, Whom seek ye? They said, We seek Jesus of Nazareth. And He says, I'm He. And they
arrest Him, and they bind His hands, and they take Him down
there to the Sanhedrin. He sits all night surrounded
by those hypocritical, ecclesiastical rulers. orthodox legalists and
moralists who hate God in their hearts. And they try him, and
they mock him, and they bring false witnesses against him,
and they pronounce him worthy of death. And then they turn
him over to the soldiers, and the soldiers mock him and beat
him and scourge him. And then he is brought before
Pilate, and Pilate sits down on the judgment seat and faces
the people. He says, I turn him over to you.
to be crucified. And they put his own cross on
his shoulders to add to his shame, and he drags it out yonder toward
Gorgosses Hill, and there they nail him to a cross. And there
the blood drips upon the ground, you can tell his bones, and his
visage is marred so that he doesn't look like a man. And not only
had the forces of hell attacked him and the forces of earth and
the forces of religion, but he turned his eyes toward heaven,
and he sees no fellowship there. The heavens are blast, and he
screamed, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And he
died alone. He said, It's finished, and bowed
his head and gave up the ghost. And they came with their big
old mallets to break the legs of the crucified ones to hasten
to get him off the cross so they wouldn't defile their sacrifice. But they came to him, they saw
he was already dead, but a soldier took a spear and just jabbed
it clear up into his side here. And out came blood and water.
Christ came not by blood only, but by blood and water. Not only
to justify, but to sanctify. Sanctify. They took him down
to the cross and they took him and put him in a tomb. and rolled
a stone before it and put the seal of the Roman government,
stations and soldiers, and everybody walked away. Is it over? Did sin win? Did sin triumph? Sin abounded. Forces of hell and earth and
the demons of the prince of the power of the air. Everything's
quiet now. Did sin triumph? Did it overflow
just too, is this too much? And also they come to the tomb
that Sunday morning, and that stone is rolled away. Peter and
John come to the tomb. John stops outside, looks in,
old Peter just runs right in. And he's not here. And the angel
said, why are you seeking the living among the dead? He's not
here. He's risen. And I'll tell you,
my friend, up from the grave he arose, my representative,
my sin offering, my sacrifice, my savior, with a mighty triumph
over my foes. They say his foes, but those
were my foes. He arose a victor over the dark
domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign where
sin abounded. His grace did much more than
that. And you know, I look at this world, and everybody gets
all excited. They say, well, the world's getting
worse. It always has. It always has. It's never got any better. It
seems like all is lost. But I'll tell you this, where
sin abounded, grace one day will much more abound. And this is
my Father's world. The battle is not done. Jesus
who died will be satisfied. And one day, by His grace, heaven
and earth are going to be one. And how I'm looking forward to
that day. A dear girl told me today, she
said, I used to be afraid to die. But since I've come to know
Christ, I'm kind of anxious to see Him. Is that right? Let's sing that. This is my Father's
world. Let's sing that. I think we sing
it with maybe, what number is it? Number 39, maybe with a special
meaning, maybe with a little more enthusiasm. Where sin abounded,
overflowed, thank God, grace, His grace, sovereign grace, sufficient
grace, effectual grace, eternal grace, did much more Bob, I might
just preach on much more, several more times. I like that much
more. Much more of that. All right,
let's stand while we sing it, 39th. This is my father's world And
to my listening ears All nature sings and round me rings The
music of the spheres This is my father's world I rest me in