Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans chapter 5 as we look at what God has done in our lives, bringing us from sin to salvation. As you are turning there, listen to this story that will help shed some light on what we will be looking at, what God has done for us. The story goes like this:

            The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before.

             It’s not influenza, but three or four fellows are dead, and it’s kind of interesting.  They’re sending some doctors over there to investigate it. You don’t think much about it, but on Sunday, coming home from church you hear another radio spot.  Only they say it’s not three villagers, its 30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India, and it’s on TV that night.

            CNN runs a little blurb: people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before.

            By Monday morning when you get up, it’s the lead story.  For it’s not just India; it’s Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and before you know it, you’re hearing this story everywhere and they have coined it now as “the mystery flu.”

            The President has made some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all will go well over there.

            But everyone is wondering, “How are we going to contain it?”  That’s when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe.  He is closing their borders.  No flights from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing has been seen.

            That night you are watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed.  Your jaw hits your chest, when a weeping woman is translated from a French news program into English: “There’s a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe.”  Panic strikes.

            As best they can tell, once you get it, you have it for a week and you don’t know it.  Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms. Then you die.

            Britain closes its boarders, but it’s too late.  Southampton, Liverpool, Northampton, and its Tuesday morning when the President of the United States makes the following announcement: “Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled.  If your loved ones are overseas, I’m sorry.  They cannot come back until we find a cure for this thing.”

            Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear.  People are selling little masks for your face.  Some are talking about what if it comes to this country, and preachers on Tuesday are saying, “It’s the scourge of God.”  It’s Wednesday night and you are at a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, “Turn on a radio, turn on a radio.”  While the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made, “Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu.”  Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country.

            People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working.  California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts.  It’s as though it’s just sweeping in from the borders.

            Then, all of a sudden the news comes out.  The code has been broken. A cure can be found.  A vaccine can be made. It’s going to take the blood of somebody who hasn’t been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: “Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken.  That’s all we ask of you.  When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.”

            Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they’ve got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it.

            Your spouse and your kids are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, “Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home.”

            You stand around scared with your neighbors, wondering what in the world is going on, and that this is the end of the world.  Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming.  He’s yelling a name and waving a clipboard.  What?  He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says with a grin, “Daddy, that’s me.”

            Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy.  “Wait a minute, hold it!”  And they say, “It’s okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn’t have the disease. We think he has got the right type.”

            Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another – some are even laughing. It’s the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, “Thank you, sir.  Your son’s blood type is perfect.  It’s clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine.”

            As the word begins to spread all across the parking lot full of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your wife aside and says, “May we see you for a moment? We didn’t realize that the donor would be a minor and we need . . . we need you to sign a consent form.”

            You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty.  “H-h-h-how many pints?” you ask.  And that is when the old doctor’s smile fades and he says, “We had no idea it would be a little child. We weren’t prepared.  We need it all!”

            “But-but . . .” “You don’t understand. We are talking about the world here. Please sign.  We – we need it all – we need it all!”

            “But can’t you give him a transfusion?”

            “If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign?  Would you sign?”

            In numb silence you do.  Then they say, “Would you like to have a moment with your son?”  You go into that room where he sits on a table saying, “Daddy? Mommy? What’s going on?”

            Can you take his hands and say, “Son, we love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn’t just have to be. Do you understand that?”

            When that old doctor comes back in and says, “I’m sorry, we’ve –we’ve got to get started.  People all over the world are dying.”  Can you leave?  Can you walk out while he is saying, “Dad? Mom?  Why –why have you forsaken me?”

            And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your son, some folks sleep through it, and some folks don’t even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious attitude.

            “MY SON DIED!  DON’T YOU CARE?”

            Is that what God may be saying?  “MY SON DIED. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?”

            “Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts.  Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great love you have for us.  Amen.”

                                                            - Source Unknown

            We have seen the affects of the flu this year, how deadly it is, and yet, there is one that is worse, and that is sin for it leads to eternal death!  Now I realize that was a long story but I hope it got your attention because I intended it to!  I want you to realize what it cost God to save you, to save me. And thus, in our study this morning we are going to be looking at three different areas. We are going to be looking at THE RUIN OF MANKIND, in Romans 5:12-14.  Then THE RESCUE OF MANKIND, in Romans 5:15-19.  And we will conclude with THE REIGN OF MANKIND, in Romans 5:20-21.  So with that said, let’s begin reading through this section of Romans and then we will focus in on these areas and see what the Lord has for us.  So let’s begin reading in Romans chapter 5, starting in verse 12 and see what the Lord has for us this morning.

            This chapter in the book of Romans, especially these verses is powerful because they show us man’s condition, lost in sin with no way out on his own.  Then comes God who steps in and rescue’s man from his sinful condition which leads to the reign of mankind and we will develop that more as we go. The idea here is man is going to go from sin to salvation. Of this chapter, Martin Luther said: “In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text.”

            Thus, let’s begin looking at those three areas: THE RUIN OF MANKIND, THE RESCUE OF MANKIND, and THE REIGN OF MANKIND.

1.  THE RUIN OF MANKIND – ROMANS 5:12-14

            Folks, like it or not, we all inherit things from our parents. As you can tell, my parents were not giants, my mom is about 5 feet tall, my dad a little shorter than me, and thus, now you know where I get my height from, or lack there-of!  Also, awhile back I was looking at one of my dad’s High School pictures and to my shock, he looked just like me, or more correctly, I looked just like him!  It could have been a picture of me, no one would know the difference except that the picture was old.  I inherited some of his physical characteristics.

            Not only do we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, but we also inherit spiritual ones from our ancestor, from Adam.  Thus, from Adam on all of mankind, except for Jesus, was infected by sin, no one can escape this!  In Hebrew, Adam means “mankind.” Thus, just as Adam sinned we are like him, we are sinners!

            Now please understand that sinning doesn’t make us sinners, we sin because we are sinners.  It is like this, stealing horses doesn’t make us horse thieves we steal horses because we are horse thieves!  In other words it just shows us who we are – sinners!  It is as Paul said in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

            Not only was there the physical separation from God because of sin but once sin entered this world through Adam the death process also began. The Lord said to Adam, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  Genesis 2:17.  That can literally be translated,  “. . . in the day that you eat of it dying you shall surely die.”  In other words, spiritual death was immediate while physical death was now a process, the Second Law of Thermodynamics went into effect where things were wearing down, moving from order to disorder.

            So we, as descendants of Adam, have all inherited a sin nature and our lives reflect that as we sin.  Thus, mankind is in ruin, sin has separated us from God and the wages for sin is death, God’s wrath will come upon us, we will be eternally separated from God.  Obviously that is not good, but God is not going to leave man in that condition, He is going to step in and do something about it. You see, God did not want us to live eternally in these bodies of sin, that was not His plan and as we move into our next section, we will see what God has done to rectify this problem, the ruin of man!

2.  THE RESCUE OF MANKIND – ROMANS 5:15-19

            The rescue of man is seen in basically two ways.  The first where man tries to rescue himself by doing good works, living a certain way.  Let me give you one example that took place back in the year 2000.  Listen carefully how they feel salvation is obtained:

            This December 24, the Pope will declare the beginning of the Year of Jubilee, and four special “Holy Doors” will be opened in Rome with the most important being in St. Peter’s Basilica.  People from all over the world – an expected 30 million or more – will make a pilgrimage to Rome during 2000 seeking forgiveness of all past sins by walking through the doorways, which are opened only during Jubilee years.  Many will travel thousands of miles, sacrificing time and money, in an effort to obtain eternal life. For these seekers, Rome is the place to be in 2000.

           The Jubilee occurs every 25 years, but the dawn of a new millennium is bringing much more attention to this particular Year of Jubilee and will bring a greater number of pilgrims.

                                                            - OM Indeed, Spring, 1999, p. 6

            Folks, I am sorry to say that walking through a door does not take away yours sins, that is not how you obtain salvation. But, walking through THE DOOR, Jesus Christ does!  Jesus said in John 14:6, “. . . ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” And in John 8:24 Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins.”  You see, salvation is not obtained by our good works, it is not obtained by us reaching up to God, but God reaching down and saving sinful man, it is by what He has done and not by what we have done!

            Here in Romans Paul tells us that that the rescue of man is a free gift given to us by Christ through faith!  Yes, through one man’s sin all were condemned to death, but through Christ all of our sins have been paid in full and we are declared justified before God, innocent!

            Let me illustrate this by sharing this true story with you for it drives home the point of what God has done and what we must do. The story goes like this:

            About 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mails.  Wilson was tried and sentenced to be hanged. The President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sent Wilson a pardon. But, Wilson did a strange thing: he refused to accept the pardon.

            No one seemed to know what to do because of this, so Wilson’s case was sent to the U. S. Supreme Court.  Chief Justice Marshall wrote the opinion: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon.  George Wilson must be hanged.”  And he was.

            The cross of Christ is a revelation of God’s love for all people.  We may do cowardly and disappointing things and bring deep pain to the Father’s heart, but in the cross we see that He never gives up on us.  Something happened that day on Calvary that forever makes a difference in the relationship between people and God. Even when the love of Jesus was thrown in His face with spitting, mocking and cursing, it remained unbroken.

            The death of Christ on the cross is the pardon God sent. But before it becomes a pardon, we must accept it in faith and obedience. It is through the cross, and only through the cross that we can be saved from sin and its consequence of eternal separation from God in hell.

            Have you accepted God’s pardon in Christ Jesus?  If not, will you?

                                                                        - Morning Glory, July 29, 1995, p. 35

            The thing is, what Christ has done for us goes way beyond a pardon.  We are declared innocent, declared justified by grace through faith in Jesus, and like this story, we must receive Him into our lives!  That free gift is out there for all to receive, Jesus died for us all.  The thing is not all will receive that free gift and thus, as Paul said in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

            Now, for all who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, the next area is for you.  If you haven’t, go back to step one – you are a sinner separated from God.  Once you recognize your condition, then go to step two – receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior as He is reaching out to rescue you. Once you have done that, you are with us and we can all move on to the last section, step three.

3.  THE REIGN OF MANKIND – ROMANS 5:20-21

            Paul is telling us that the Law shows us we are sinners, it shows us the standard of God – perfection, and how far short of that perfection we come on our own.  Now if sin abounded under the Law, which it does, then grace abounds even more under Jesus.  That phrase “abound much more” in the Greek is HUPERPERISSEUO (hoop-er-per-ispsyoo’-o) and it speaks of super-abounding, more than you can ever imagine, more than you can ever think!  You see, when we expect God’s anger or judgment we see His grace super-abound to us!  Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!

            As God reigns in our lives, as He molds and shapes us into His image, His nature begins to flow from our lives, He reigns in us and we will reign in life to His glory.  Let me give you an example of what God did in just one man, and this story truly is repeated at some degree in the lives of every person who comes to Jesus.  The story goes like this:

            This was the experience of Mel Trotter, who was such a great influence for Christ in Chicago and in fact the entire nation during the first half of this [last] century. As an Alcoholic he had fallen so low that on the evening he finally stumbled into the Pacific Garden Mission and found Christ, he was under the influence of alcohol he had purchased with the shoes taken from his little girl’s feet as she lay in her coffin.  So wondrous was the effect of God’s abounding grace in his life that eight years later he was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, became an outstanding evangelist, and founded more than sixty-seven rescue missions from coast to coast.  “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

                                                            - R. Kent Hughes, Romans p. 118

            That is what God has done in us so that we might shine brightly for Him, bringing glory to Him.  What is reigning in your life?  You see, whatever it is, whoever it is, will be manifested in your actions, you will shine that forth!  May it be Jesus!

            When I was a kid, one of my sport hero’s was Willie Mays and the over the shoulder catch he made in the outfield, I worked on that catch and believe it or not, I could do it at one time.  In fact I would challenge hitters to hit the ball over my head, I played shallow in the outfield, and very rarely were they able to do it.  You know why, because I watched what Willie did, and then I put into practice that which I learned and before long, what flowed from my life was what Willie was doing, obviously not as good, but I still did it.  It had become a part of my life.  Folks, if that is what you do with Jesus, if He is that important to you, if you spend time with Him, if you apply what you have learned to your life, then, like I have said, His nature, His love, His characteristics will come flowing from your life as the Holy Spirit is molding and shaping you into the men and women He wants you to be!   Shine forth Jesus!

            So we have seen the ruin of mankind, that we are all sinners, have that sin nature from Adam with no way out on our own.   That then leads to the rescue of mankind, not by our own efforts, but by Jesus as He pulls us up out of the mire of sin we are drowning in. And then that leads to the reign of mankind, as the Lord reigns in our hearts it overflows into our lives, as He is on the throne of our hearts, He will shine through and touch the hearts and lives of others, bringing glory to Him.

            Now, as we saw in our opening story this morning, does anyone care?  Is anyone listening to what the Lord is saying?  Why are you sleeping to what the Lord is telling you?  Listen carefully because folks, there is no other place to go, as Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.   He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  John 3:16-21.

            The choice is yours, but God‘s free gift is there for you to receive into your life.  As Paul said, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.  And if you have already received Him, I pray that you are living what you believe as He is reigning in your life!  Again, as Paul said, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”  Romans 5:9-11.  Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound!