SPEAKER_00 0:08

In the name of Jesus. On this first week in Lent, we take a look down a long road to Jerusalem. At a place where Christ stands affixed to a tree just outside the city on a mount called Golgotha, the place of the skull. Now, this site is not a site each one of us can really imagine, but make no mistake, it's it's grotesque. There our Lord hangs. He's stricken, he's smitten and afflicted. And that is the only source of abundant grace and salvation for all mankind. The Son sacrifices himself for the sins of the world, the sins of each one of us sitting here tonight, and everyone we know. And the sin we were all born with. Let's take a moment to reflect on this thought. What makes us who we are? What exactly were we born with? Years ago, a young man was about to reach adulthood when he found himself looking in the mirror and looking for all the attributes that reminded him of his father. What was he born with? How was he like his dad? Not too surprising. He started looking for any indication of his dad in him. Did he have his chin? What about his eyebrows? Did he walk like him? Did he laugh like him? How did he take after his father? Understanding the qualities and attributes you inherit from your parents is important and very important to a boy, important to any child. In fact, it may be even important for a boy who's trying to become a man. I'm sure every son has done this at some time or another, but in this young man's case, it was really, really important to him. His father died when he was 15 years old. Not from a disease or infection, but quite sudden, a car accident, driving home from work one night. This boy was growing up in the real world. He was trying to figure out what kind of man he was going to be. So he wanted to know what he was born with. Not only did he realize he was born with his father's finer qualities, but he received some of his grossly unrefined ones as well. Not only did he look and walk and talk like his father, but he inherited many qualities from his father and his grandfather, and his father before that, and he inherited sin. The same sin and death passed down from our father Adam, the sin that causes death to all mankind. But that sin is not the same trespass as Adam, but the root of all other sin. Everyone is familiar with this kind of sin, pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, self-justification, the passions of the flesh, and the like. The same sin that plagues all mankind. And this boy, yeah, he had every bit of it as well. We all have every bit of that, don't we? Just like we all inherited our parents' looks and attitudes and demeanor, we also inherited sin and death. You too were born in sin. You were all born dead in sin because you're descendants of Adam. Hear the words of St. Paul this evening. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin. And so death spread to all men because all sinned. For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given. But sin is not counted where there is no law, yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Everyone, from the smallest of us to the tallest of us, gets included in this. No one is left out. This is why the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome. This is why he writes to you. Paul's concerned with building up the saints in Rome in the faith by stressing the reality of sin and death and reminding them of their complete salvation in Jesus Christ. As Lutherans, we quickly identify with this scripture text. It is the doctrine of original sin. What were you born with? Better yet, how is it that everyone sins? Well, you sin because you are descendants from the one who brought death into the world through sin. You sin because you are sons and daughters of Adam. So who is Adam? He is the one man, the father of all mankind. As the text reads, he sinned, and therefore sin spread to all men. Where we read this word spread in English, the original language uses a Greek word there, and it might be best translated as passed through. Therefore, St. Paul is saying that sin passed through to all people. Verse 12 tells us that sin was passed on from Adam through to all his descendants. Just like you inherited the attributes of your mother and your father, your mother's nose, your father's eyes, you also inherited sin. From your father and from Adam. That means you sin because you were born to it. You were born in concupiscence. That's original sin. You are a sinner. So am I. You might ask yourself, well, Pastor, where do I find this sin? Where's this sin located at? Well, sin comes from your heart. How do we know this? Jesus explains it in Matthew chapter 7. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. It comes from the heart, and it rears its ugly head as often as possible, even when we least expect it. We don't have to look hard to find it. It shows up in our thoughts, in our words, in our deeds, by what we've done, by what we've left undone. Just stop and ask yourself about the last time you called somebody an idiot under your breath. And then that moment right afterwards, when you justified it by saying, well, it's the truth? Or when you were justified doing what you wanted even when your mom and dad didn't give you permission? Worse yet, when we still act like that as adults. That doesn't come from the love of Christ. What about when you get frustrated at your loved ones and you let your anger fly out of your lips, hoping your tongue will inflict wounds so deep, or at least deep enough, they'll finally get to see it your way? The list of sin could stretch around the world tenfold. Sin is laced through every thought and every action, both in what we do and what we don't do. All people die, even you, even though your sin, my sin, is not like Adam's. How do we know that sin includes all mankind? All of us sitting here tonight?

unknown 10:28

St.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Paul says it best, yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam. Yes, death reigned. All people sin. Every culture, every race, even those we might even call good. All people die, even children, unfortunately, even our precious babies. Death is the result of sin. The Lord told Adam, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. And they ate, and we all died. The wages of sin is death. Thus the debt of sin is death. Payment is expected. The account must be reconciled. All must die. You will all die, or at least face death, unless the Lord returns first. The reckoning is death. But not just any death, death of body and soul, eternal death. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men, because all sinned. You will die because sin is a part of your flesh. Because you too were born a sinner. But you are made alive by the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ. For if because of one man's trespass death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Christ overcame sin and death. From the cross, he won your salvation through his very blood that he shed on Calvary. Because Christ lives, you have life. Because Christ lives, you are forgiven. Adam sinned and death reigned. But Christ died on the cross and rose again, therefore death is swallowed up. Death could not hold him, because he who knew no sin, who bore our sin in his own flesh, put it to death on the cross. O death, where is your sting now? Thus the sins of the flesh, the sins of all mankind, were crucified right there with Christ. Make no mistake. This is what the prophet Isaiah said regarding Christ. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. This, my beloved, my beloved friends in Christ, is what Luther called the great exchange. The exchange of our sins for his righteousness. Christ bore our sins on the cross, and in exchange, he covered us with his righteousness. Who bears his righteousness? We bear his righteousness, the beloved baptized believers covered in Jesus. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism, Romans 6. So then consider yourselves to dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus. Because you have been made alive in him. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. And not just any life, but eternal life. Sin separates, but Christ's righteousness brings us face to face with God eternally. Adam sinned and it removed himself and us from God. Our sin separates us so far from God. But through Christ and his death and resurrection, we are made alive, righteous, and just. If we are covered by Christ, we are no longer removed from God, but we're able to stand in his presence and in his glory. If you are made righteous before God, well then you're justified. Every one of you. You, the baptized, you have eternal life with him. You're forgiven of all your sins in Jesus' name. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.