Mike Tufnell Romans Series, Autumn 2017
Romans 5.12-21 Grace is Greater
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned – 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 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 is a pattern of the one to come. 15 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! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: the judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 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! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 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. 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Questions: v.12 How did sin enter the world? What is the consequence of sin? Is it fair to say that all sinned if one ‘man’ sinned? What does that say about Adam and Eve (and us!)
According to v.14 what did death do? Does this fit in with what you can see of people being afraid of death/dying and even aging today?
v.13 Why does God setting laws down make sin worse for us (even if those laws are good)?
Grace is Greater v.15-17 What is the maths behind verse 15, 16 and 17? What things are being compared?
Make a list from v 15-18 of all the things that: 1) Adam’s sin did. 2) The law did 3) Christ’s righteous act has done…
What is reigning now?
What does that mean for you today?
How could you live life better if you really got your head around what Christ has done for you?
Who might God want you to pray for so that they can understand this good news too?
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Dresden Frauenkirche - On the 13th Feb 1945 a beautiful church in Dresden, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) was flattened, along with most of Dresden in a British-led allied bombing raid. The remaining rubble, just a ruin really, stood there for years. However, over the years it became a reminder of the war, and even a memorial against war. Residents began salvaging the occasional brick or part of the original structure and numbering it in case it were ever to be rebuilt. In 1966 a plan to turn it into a car park was resisted. Then it officially became a memorial against war and in 1982 it became the site of peace movement, which ultimately combined with others in the country and led to the reunification of Germany. But it wasn’t until 1992 that it was officially decided to rebuild 1993 the community sorted through the rubble and the new foundation stone was laid in 1994 - construction was completed in 2005.
The new gilded orb and cross on top of the dome was forged by Grant Macdonald Silversmiths in London. It was constructed by Alan Smith, a British goldsmith from London whose father, Frank, was a member of one of the aircrews who took part in the bombing of Dresden.
The restored church incorporated the old, with nearly half the bricks, reused, but the church now is all the more glorious for it’s story of death and new life. It now is so much more than a memorial of war… it has been re-born, it’s a symbol of hope, it’s a representation of peace, of reconciliation. It is so much more than what it was and means so much more now. It is so much more because of the story of restoration that followed the bombing.
So much more. Our reading today, v.20: "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,"
And of course this is not only a picture for St Alban’s, but for all our lives, which are ruins under repair (cf. Is 61.4) - I know some of the stories many of you have been facing the last three years… not always easy, feeling as if in ruins… but grace is greater…
Today’s passage is hard to get your head around at first, even fifth reading. It’s dense in it’s thought and Paul even gets a bit lost, starting v.12 without really finishing it… we won’t go too much into v.13-14 here, but focus more on vv.15-17, look out for how many times ‘how much more’ appears and how many times ‘gift’ and ‘grace’ appear. The basic message of vv.15-17, of the whole passage is this, three words:
GRACE IS GREATER (repeat several times and you won’t forget it this week!)
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• The disobedience and faithlessness of Adam results in and describes the situation of all mankind: trapped by sin, enslaved to it, sin that leads ultimately to pain, to separation from God in this life and ultimately to death and God’s righteous judgement…
BUT GRACE IS GREATER
• The obedience and faithfulness of Jesus results in a FREE gift for ALL that offers forgiveness from the penalty of sin, freedom from the pollution of sin, the partition of sin brought down (like the Berlin wall coming down, which followed that movement of peace and reconciliation that begun outside the ruins of Frauenkirche), and promises SO MUCH MORE... ◦ If the ‘trespass’ was like a rock, a dead rock… the ‘gift’ isn’t like a gold rock, it’s of a completely different order, it’s a rose, bursting with life and beauty and eternal promise… • v.17 - where ‘death reigned’, now we are to ‘reign in life’ through this ‘gift of righteousness’.
GRACE IS GREATER
GRACE IS GREATER!
Grace trumps everything
Jesus trumps Adam
Justification trumps condemnation
Righteousness trumps sin
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Obedience of Jesus trumps the disobedience of man
Peace trumps anxiety (Phil 4.6-7)
Freedom trumps slavery
Forgiveness trumps failure
Resurrection trumps Crucifixion
Life trumps death
Grace trumps everything…
GRACE IS GREATER!
There is nothing in your life, that you are too ashamed of that grace can’t heal
There is no situation too difficult that Jesus can’t help with
There is no crisis that will every intimidate him
There is not identity issue or eating disorder or porn addiction that the power and forgiveness and love of Jesus cannot heal
Grace trumps everything…GRACE IS GREATER!
However bad things are, however lost things seem, grace is greater… if you’ll let it (remember it’s a gift, so it needs to be received)
There is no abandoned church that Jesus can’t reopen There is no amount of building falling apart that enough of God’s provision, and patience, and power can’t help overcome There is no amount of pain that God, through his community of faith and by the power of his Spirit can’t soothe and cure God has not forgotten St Alban’s God has not forgotten Chiswick God has not forgotten London God has not forgotten you and me and God has not forgotten the rising generation… his grace is greater.
God has done amazing things in the life of this church to bring it to this place… to make the space and the ‘soil’ fertile and ready for new growth and the family of faith he believes might be faithful enough for him to create a beacon of hope for our community…
I sense God would want to give us renewed hope, for even greater things… these were some of the pictures and scriptures God spoke to us through at the prayer meeting on Thursday...
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We have developed good soil for what he is going to grow… been tilling the soil, spiritually preparing for new life, new growth shooting up...
Isaiah 43.19 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Another wave is coming… we’ve caught one, now waiting to catch the next one… praying it’s bigger…
You know, before we re-launched St Alban’s, a few verses from Hebrews 11 in my bible reading popped out one morning… Hebrews 11.8-12 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
This was what was once thought of St Alban’s… that is was ‘beyond childbearing years’ - and now look at what’s happening…! Some of you hear the noise of children at the back of church each week and it really annoys you - but I tell you what, it really annoys the devil too! Grace is greater. People thought the story of St Alban’s had been written. It hadn’t because grace is greater.
Now St Alban’s is to become a youth minster, a collective passionate about young people encountering Jesus, being transformed by his love, impacting W.London and shaping the culture around them… and it’s happening!
Three of our young people have responded to Jesus in the last month or so... • George at SS • Maya just over a week ago • Ian on Friday
It’s happening, grace is greater!
Applications…
If you haven’t yet received the GIFT that so overwhelms the TRESPASS that not only forgives but floods us with love and new life… then receive that gift today.
If you are in a painful place - have hope, grace is greater, and let us walk with you, pray for you.
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If you have been through a painful place, thank God, realise the power of your story of grace - all of us have examples and stories of how grace has been at work… who have you shared your story of grace with recently?
If we want to become more like God in this then we need not to walk away from the ruins, but towards them. Not away from pain but towards it because we are charged with the hope of the resurrection, with the confidence of the empty grave, with the love of God that has healed and helped us… we see an empty palace to a long forgotten king, and we don’t give up, we see hope, with the faith God gives us, we dream dreams, we pray with faith, we believe that the church could be filled again with young people, we see people finding hope, experiencing the love of Jesus, finding grace…
One part of the Frauenkirche that did survive was a relief of Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane - only light damage to it, it’s restored in it’s place today… Jesus crying out in agony, facing his crucifixion and death, ‘yet not my will but yours be done…' And yet we know the story didn’t end there, it didn’t end in Gethsemane, but in another garden. It didn’t end on a cross, but with an empty grace… because GRACE IS GREATER!
I can’t wait to see how the ‘grace is greater’ God continues to build his church here, and rebuilds all of us along the way, to the praise of his glory.
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