GRACE & SIN

Romans 5:20

  1. Intro.
    1. there are two powerful forces at work in the world – sin & grace
    2. the effects of sin
      1. the cause of all man’s sorrows, heartaches & even death
      2. sin has brought the wrath of a holy & just God upon us
    3. there is a power to fight & overcome sin
      1. it is not the natural goodness of man
      2. it is not human endeavor to keep the law (tried & failed)
      3. there is only one power that can overcome sin – grace
    4. what is grace?
      1. the free favor of God
      2. undeserved goodness from the one we offended
      3. loving kindness from the God who has been provoked & angered by our sin
      4. the willingness of God to save man from all the consequences of sin
      5. this divine grace never changes
    5. the grace of God can conquer all of man’s sin
      1. the blood of Jesus Christ is the grace of God (deals with our guilt)
      2. the indwelling Holy Spirit is the grace of God (deals with the presence of sin)
      3. the love of the Father is the grace of God
  2. the entrance of the law (what it did for us)
    1. it developed the sin that was in us - "that the offense might abound"
      1. our sin nature wants to do everything that is forbidden - Rom. 7:8
      2. why did God give the law
        1. to show us what we really are –sinners
        2. so that we would see our need of grace
    2. it revealed the wickedness of our sin
      1. man has never seen how wicked his sins are except when compared to the holy law
      2. the law will not allow us to rest in our self-righteousness
      3. the law was intended to open our eyes to the true wickedness of sin - Rom. 7:13
    3. it causes us great distress
      1. the law comes as a heavy whip to convict our conscience Rom. 7:7
      2. we will never seek healing until we know how sick we are
    4. it pronounces a curse upon us
      1. the law can do nothing for a sinner but curse him - Gal. 3:10
      2. the gospels reply to the curse of the law is a blessing - Rom. 4:6-8
  3. the believer and sin
    1. salvation is the beginning of a life long struggle with sin
      1. some think that salvation means no more sin (disappointment)
      2. salvation is not the end of the battle, it is the beginning
      3. some people claim perfection, but it is only a delusion and a sham - Phil. 3:12-13
    2. the believer who examines himself in the light of God’s Word, will find sin everywhere
      1. sin in the affections – their heart lusts after evil things
      2. sin in the judgment –we often judge wrongly
      3. sin in the desire – though we try to curb them, we wander
      4. sin in the will – putting our will above His
      5. sin in the memory – recollects old sinful things
      6. in what part of the body does sin not dwell?
    3. sin mars the best things we do (prayer, witnessing, preaching, giving)
      1. a needle put under a microscope will look like a rough bar of steel
      2. this is how our best actions appear to God -"all our righteousnesses are as filthy rages"
      3. all we do falls short of what it ought to be or has something in it that should not be
    4. we also find sin in our omissions
      1. the good that we omit, neglect, or forget; we now find sinful
      2. this never troubled us before salvation
    5. conclusion: sin abounds even in the believer
    6. praise God, "grace did much more abound" - Rom. 5:20
      1. though our will is strong, there is a higher power the subdues & controls it
      2. our will is gradually being conformed to the will of God
      3. our desires do go astray, but our desired goal is holiness
      4. though we have faults, we now have a divine nature
  4. results of abounding grace
    1. heaven is being filled with people who once abounded in sin
      1. Saul of Tarsus, the dying thief, Mary Magdalene
      2. it is a wonder of grace that these should be forgiven
      3. the same grace is still available today
    2. grace has given us more than sin took away
      1. sin robbed us of everything, but Christ has given us more than we lost
      2. sin stripped us of innocence, but Christ has clothed us with His righteousness
      3. sin took away man’s love for God, but Christ has given us a greater love for God than Adam ever had
        1. it never cost Adam anything to love God
        2. today we may pay a great price to love God (shame or even death)
      4. sin took away our obedience, but grace enables us to obey in a higher level
        1. we are able to suffer for Christ
        2. many saints have gone singing to their death for the truth
      5. sin caused us to suffer, but grace enables us to suffer for our obedience
      6. sin closed the gates of Eden, but Christ is preparing us a mansion in heaven
    3. all of this because God’s grace has abounded over sin
    4. let this knowledge fill our hearts with praise, worship & thanksgiving to our great God & Savior, Jesus

Christ