Gospel
GOSPEL MESSAGE
G. ROSS CLARK
An Inescapable Foe and An Inexhaustible
Friend
No newspaper is printed and no
news program is ever aired that does not contain
some reference to death. As humans, it seems
inescapable and we grow accustomed to its
presence. It is a greater and more horrible
shock when death strikes into our normal lives.
Even when sickness precedes the moment of death
and we think we will be prepared for its
arrival, death never fails to leave us shocked,
surprised and sorrowful.
In this message, I will explain to you from
whence death comes, what its consequences are,
and the antidote for its pain. Let’s consider
two verses from God’s Word, the Bible. These
verses are found in Romans
5, verses 12 and 21. Listen to these
words as if they come from the mouth of God
Himself:
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.
This verse tells us that sin
came to this world by the actions of one man.
That man was our forebear Adam. God in His grace
gave mankind the capability to make free
decisions; we are not automatons. Adam and his
wife Eve were well within their rights to make
their own decisions and they made their own
personal choice. However, this verse tells us
that their freewill choice was a tragic one for
mankind. Again, what does the verse say? … as by
one man sin entered into the world and death by
sin”. I’m sure you will agree with me that
actions produce reactions… and that causes
produce results. In this case, the results of
their actions are still being felt in the world
today.
I can almost hear you saying, “That’s not fair,
that’s not just. Why should I be subject to
death just because Adam and Eve sinned?” Well,
that’s a fair enough question AND it is one that
our verse also answers. It says, “death passed
upon all men, because all have sinned”. We are
all sinners not just because Adam and Eve
sinned, but because we have all taken the very
same freewill choice to sin that they took. We
all sin because we choose to sin. You do not
have to look very far back into your past to
remember the lie told, the impure thoughts that
spring to mind or the cross word spoken.
We make these choices to sin voluntarily. God
allows us the freedom to come to Him or to
remain with our own devices. God never forces
allegiance from anyone, and so, if you choose to
come to Him for His blessings, He will receive
you with open arms. However, if you choose to
ignore Him, He will not command your obedience.
You are a free person. However, the consequence
of our sin is death. The Bible is careful to
instruct us that death is both spiritual and
physical. Because we are sinners, we are
spiritually misaligned with God – we are
spiritually separated from Him – we are
spiritually dead to Him. More than that, sin has
resulted in physical death, where we are
separated from our loved ones and from our life
upon earth.
Now, if the story stopped here, it would be
tragic indeed. But, thankfully, we have a second
verse to read from this same chapter in Romans
5. Let’s read it together.
Sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace
reign through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let me paraphrase, “Sin reigns on this earth and
results in death but grace reigns unto eternal
life in heaven because of Jesus Christ our
Lord”. The first part of verse is a restatement
of what we have already learned in verse 12.
“Sin reigns on this earth and results in death”.
However, we have a lovely contrast in the last
part of this verse. “Grace reigns in heaven
because of Jesus Christ”. We were lost in deadly
sin, but God in His tremendous love for his
willful, lost, spiritually dead creation, sent
his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
from heaven. He came to earth to deal with the
matter of sin and death upon the cross at
Calvary.
Jesus Christ lived a life very different than
ours – totally apart from sin and therefore He
was not subject to death. But, because of love,
He willingly went to the cross and bore in His
own body all the punishment that God demanded
for sins, both yours and mine. You and I have
chosen to sin in this life and therefore we die.
Jesus Christ never sinned, yet he also made a
choice – an awesome one - He chose to die in our
place. God’s justice against the sin that He
abhors so much was poured out upon the blessed,
sinless, loving Lord Jesus Christ. In glory,
Jesus rose again and history records His
post-death life. He was glorified by God and
sits in heaven today as a man who passed through
death and lives eternally. He reigns in grace in
heaven.
Now, here’s the challenge for you and for me.
What choice are we going to make regarding our
sin. Will we accept the free-will sacrifice that
Jesus made upon the cross for us? Or, will we
continue to choose our free-will sin. I urge you
to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your own
personal Savior and enjoy today the real
knowledge that, despite physical death, you will
live eternally in the place of blessing that
lies ahead for all who have their sins cleansed
by the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross.
What extraordinary contrasts we have in these
verses we have read. I present these contrasts
to you and ask you to choose which side you will
be on:
- On one side, we have man
---- On the other side, we have God
- On one side, the sin of
mankind ----- On the other side, the
perfection of Jesus
- On one side we have the
darkness of spiritual death ---- On the
other side, the light of spiritual re-birth
(being born again)
- On the one side, physical
death ---- On the other side, everlasting
physical life
- On the one side, the
penalty and punishment of hell ---- On the
other side, the peace and pleasure of heaven
- On the one side, the
reign of sin on the earth ---- On the other
side, the reign of grace in heaven.
And so, now again, I urge you
to choose Christ and His love.
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