One of the references in this outline is from First Corinthians, so I thought we'd read First Corinthians 15. Let's read verses 20 through 28. Calvin has the outlines. Did anybody not get one? OK, thanks. Heavenly Father, bless us tonight, we pray as we continue to study the subject of sin. Lord, it's something that we just distasteful to us. I guess it should be. But we realize that we need to understand this better. If we're going to be better equipped with the whole armor that you provide, that we might fight against the wiles of the devil and the fiery darts. So help us to understand this tonight. Bless this preacher, I pray in Jesus name. Amen. First Corinthians 15, 20 through 28. This is God's inerrant word. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, that each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, and after that those who are Christ that is coming. Then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to God and Father when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. the last enemy that will be abolished is death, for he has put all things in subjection under his feet. When he says all things are put in subjection, it is evident that he has accepted who put all things in subjection to him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself also will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all." May God bless this reading of his word. Here's a question for you. True or false? Doberman pinchers have short tails. I see some heads going, no, they don't. What happens to Doberman pinchers' tails? They get sliced down about that long, right? They dock their tails. When a Doberman with a docked tail has a puppy, does it have long or short tails? Long tails all over again. How many generations will that work? So far, cutting off their tails has not made the next generation to have short tails. Well, we're talking about a subject sort of like that. Kay mentioned this earlier. She said, that doesn't sound like a good illustration to me. But this is a subject like that. And that is, we are directly linked to Adam and his sin. And so that sweet little baby that's born to your cousin or whoever is born into sin. Even though you don't want to have sin, it is passed generationally from one generation to the next. What does this mean to you and me? You'll see the challenge I have at the top of your outline. Believer, in your walk in the Lord, benefit from understanding the extent of Adam's sin. Now, we're in this portion of the shorter catechism I mentioned on sin. Let me review a few of these questions for you, just showing you where we're going here. This is from question, I'm going to start at question 12. Question 12 asks, what special act of providence did God exercise towards man in the estate wherein he was created? And the answer is, when God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience Forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil upon pain of death." And then it leads to the next question, 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? I've often thought, well, there's an obviously easy one to answer there, but you'd be surprised of the humanists that would answer that question differently. They think people are good. We just need to encourage them in their goodness. We know, of course, the reality is our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate when they were created by sinning against God. Now, question 14 was, what is sin? We looked at a definition of sin, being sin is any one of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God. And 15, last week, what was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? The answer to the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate when they were created was the eating of the forbidden fruit. Now, we get to this question. Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression? The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression." Let's review. We have given to Adam, it's called the covenant of life here in question 12, we also call it the covenant of work. this arrangement that was made with Adam. We've got to go back to Genesis again, that's where we've been several weeks, but of course we've got to see what was the original contract, the original covenant with God. And just to read a few of these verses from Genesis 2, verses 15 through 17. This is the agreement that God made for Adam. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, from any tree of the garden you may eat freely, But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." It was a test, a test of obedience, a test of allegiance, a test of trust in their great creator God. It had great blessings in this Garden of Eden, but it also had a great and very serious penalty if they broke God's command in this covenant. Now, if you go over to chapter 3, you'll see, of course, We've been over this before, the failure or the sin of Adam and Eve. Let's look at verse 17 through 19 of chapter 3 now. Then to Adam he said, meaning God, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you saying, you shall not eat from it. First is the ground because of you. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Adam failed. He blew it. And not just for himself, we realize from the Word of God, but for the entire human race. How important is keeping the Word of God to you? Do you understand the extent of one little failure of disobedience can lead to great harm, including to the harm of our children? Just as Adam brought great harm, of course, on all the generations that followed him, And our sin can have great harm to our children or grandchildren or our neighbors or community. That it's not just our failure, but our failure can lead to great harm to others. Now, we say in this answer that Adam was our representative. It says here, not only for himself, but for his posterity. Of course, speaking of Adam. Now, what are we talking about here? Well, kings and presidents make decisions for the people that they rule over or serve. America has been involved, sadly, in many, many wars. When I turned 18, I had to register for the draft. That's still true today. When young men turn 18, they still have to register because the country in a dire emergency can say, OK, guess what? You're now in the army. Now, the decision was made by somebody else, but it still involves you. You have no choice. Sort of like that, we call it federalism, where Adam represented us in the covenant of works. Now, just like my daughter would tell me when she was a little girl, well, Danny, that's just not fair. Well, whether you like it or not, it's reality. And I've always been amazed that people think because they don't think something like something, they can suddenly change it like they're omnipotent. Whether you like it or not, it is the truth. And you better deal with the truth of this, not think that's not really the way it is. Either decide that it is that way or not, but it is what the scriptures teach about Adam being our federal Now, men and women don't like this. They want to say, well, I'm responsible for my own actions. I'm going to do it my own way. Nobody's going to tell me what to do, and nobody's going to make a decision for me. I'm going to make all my decisions. Well, again, that's been man's rebellion ever since the Garden of Eden, right? And that's what got us into trouble. I mean, look at the heritage that you have in your DNA. Some people inclined toward cancer. All kinds of difficulties, physical difficulties, can simply be inherited from your parentage. Now, you're going to say that's not fair. Well, maybe it's not fair. But it's reality, and you have to deal with it. You have to deal with it honestly and openly. What Adam did was take a test. As our representative, he took a test. In Acts 17, it says, he made from one man, mankind. If we are linked genetically to our first parents, Adam and Eve, why shouldn't we be linked spiritually with our souls? It says by ordinary generation. What ordinary generation means is by parent to child, to child, to child. Now, is there any exception to that? There's one, and it's called extraordinary generation, and that's Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin through the work of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. Jesus was different. He was through extraordinary generation. And so it's interesting how man through the generations of their sin and through their hatred has tried to claim superiority over other human beings. We of the next generation are pretty harsh on the previous generation in Germany that would allow a philosophy called Nazism to actually have any credence with people that people were somehow different and that certain races were inferior genetically than the others, that there was a superior race and an inferior race. Well, in America, we have still bearing the fruit of our racism and believing that men are different, some are inferior to others, and we still continue to suffer from that. So I ask you, what's your view of others? Do you understand the familial relationship you have with every human being through Adam and Eve? Adam was our representative And so the guilt that he had is our guilt to look at the answer again, the covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary generation sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression. We actually are guilty by Adam. Not just by our own sins, but we are guilty, judged and declared guilty. for the sin of the original sin. Now, we're going to study this in a couple of weeks. Question 18 asks about original sin. Now, how can you say that, Andy? Don't we all have the freedom to choose the right way, to go the right way? Well, that's not what the scriptures teach. You might want it to be that way. You can wish and hope all you want to, but that isn't what the scriptures teach. A few references here, Romans chapter 5 verse 12 says, therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned. Verse 18 and 19, so then through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men. Through one man's transgression, every one of y'all are condemned to hell. Every one of you, me too. So then through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many were made righteous." What's the penalty for the wages of sin? It is death. It's difficult to argue that man is basically good and we just need to encourage their goodness as found in all men. All they have to do is look at human history. Again, I've said this, walk through the graveyards in Normandy or these other places where men and women have shed their blood in the defense of freedom because of belligerency and racism and wickedness. Well, David says in Psalm 51, it was in sin that my mother conceived me. Or John 3, 36, at the close of that great chapter in John 3, the writer says in John 3, 36, he who believes in the Son has eternal life, that he who does not obey the Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God abides in him. It's already there. It's remaining in that person who has rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's already there. They're under condemnation of God. You know, I was thinking about this this afternoon. You know, Adam had a better chance than you did. You say, hey, why didn't I get the chance that Adam had? Well, do you think you could have done better than Adam? Adam was innocent. He was absolutely innocent and he made that choice. You think you can do better? You want to choose for yourself? Adam was a lot better than you were when he made the choice for you. So, do you understand the stain that is upon us because of Adam? You can't wash it off. It will not wash off by yourself. There is a desperate need. But that's my fourth point on your outline here. Not only is it guilt ours, but our hope is in one person, too, and that is Jesus Christ. His righteousness has been imputed to us. We like this federalism. We want to argue about the federalism of Adam, but we like this one. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We can be saved by one man's death. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even though I didn't die back there, even though I didn't live back there, he died on the cross. Yeah, yeah, he can die for me. Well, Doesn't that make sense when you think about Adam? Yeah, OK, I guess somebody can send for me if somebody can save me through his work. Christ did that for us, his righteousness imputed to us. Now we can't save ourselves. I read from first Corinthians earlier. Let me reread verses 21 and 22, first Corinthians 15. This is verse 20 and 21. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. And so I would argue against those that argue against federalism of Adam. What you have in Adam is simply an example. Well, we could say the same thing then about Christ. It was simply an example and we're still in our sins. Know what Adam did in our fall, Christ does in our raising up. Have you understood the solution that God put together and that babe in the manger and that savior on the cross and his plan of redemption was for the stain of sin that is upon all generations of mankind. He said, I have to become a man and I will take the place for them federally on the cross under the wrath of holy God. Let us know true hope and joy. It was and is Christ's work of our redemption. Covenant of works. We had an agreement. Our forefather sinned. Adam was our representative. By ordinary generation, he passed it to us and the guilt is ours too. Now we come to this beautiful thought that we also have the hope of the gospel in one Jesus Christ. Redeem one, grasp the severity of Adam's sin, and understand our total victory in Christ. Is that true for you? Do you understand the unity of mankind in sin? No one lives outside of Adam's transgression. No one lives outside of the transgression of Adam. We are all the family of Adam. Why do we categorize people? Why don't we try to put them better or worse or lazier, hard-working or whatever it is? We're all in the same family tree of Adam and Eve. Now, sin is a serious disease, affliction on mankind. We have gone through the difficulties that society found with AIDS. Interesting that AIDS is a disease that is passed by bad behavior. I know there are children that can get AIDS from their parents, but that was bad behavior, a wrongful, unbiblical behavior. Well, this is far more serious than AIDS. I mean, this is a condemnation for eternal death because of the guilt and the sin of Adam. It is fatal. I'm astonished, I mean, forgive me, but somebody gets cancer and they tell them it's terminal, we act like it is the absolute biggest tragedy there ever was. We all are in a condemnation worse than terminal cancer. We are in far worse shape. spiritually without Christ than anybody that gets cancer, and yet our response to the physical ailments of others, and we should respond with prayer and love and compassion, I'm not saying we shouldn't, but we should be grieved that this greater, greater illness called sin that has afflicted mankind from Adam and Eve. This is worse. What is our responsibility? You understand, we are representatives of Christ to those all around us. We are the messengers of this good news, this incredible inoculation, if you want to think of it that way, or penicillin to the one that's got an infection. We have in our own hearts and a message from the scriptures that brings cure, that brings health. And it's not just health now, it's eternal life. So let us be responsible agents of the grace of Jesus Christ as we share this word. Do you raise your fist at God and say, God, this isn't fair? Or do you say, like David, how blessed is the man whose transgressions are covered, as he says in Psalm 32? It is through the sinless one, Jesus Christ, that we have life. Well, I started off talking about Doberman Pinschers. And if you whack off their tail, do their puppies have short tails or long tails? And if you do that for a hundred generations, do they have long tails or short tails? We have inherited from our forefather in the faith. This stain of sin, this condemnation of sin, this guilt of sin. But God said, no, it doesn't have to be that way. I will redeem my own through the sacrifice of my own son. Let us, this Christmas, this Advent, think sweetly about this, of how difficult and dark our lives are without Christ, but how wonderful it is that we know life eternal. Heavenly Father, thank you for this reminder of this dark stain on mankind. Father, forgive us where we have sinned in the regard for others. We realize that there for the grace of God goes us. Lord, we have been redeemed by this blood of the Lamb and help us to remember that we are the ambassadors, the agents, the witness, the ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are your mouthpieces for this incredible story of redemption from the guilt of our forebears in our own sin. We make this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.