Rom 5:17-19 NIV
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 grace and His gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
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.
1 Cor 15:46-49 NIV
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
2 Adams & 2 Gardens & Choices
1st Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden
Charged with caring for the Garden – being fruitful & multiplying
He had to choose between a garden & a tree
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (lost the garden)
Adam & Eve only knew good & happiness – they didn’t know evil
Like a loving parent, God wanted to protect them from evil
Eating from this tree would give experiences of grief, & sorrow, misery
It’s about believing that what God says is true and that He knows best
Disobedience brought exposure & shame – “He saw that he was naked”
Adam went into hiding
Sought to cover himself – keep certain things in the dark
Now, not only the experience of evil, but experiencing new feelings – Shame
v Guilt says there’s something wrong with what I did
v Shame says there’s something wrong with who I am
Shame drives you into hiding – Hide from God
Shame drives you from purpose
Shame makes you keep silent
Go to another Garden: Gethsemane – where decisions had to be made
2nd Adam, Jesus had to choose between a tree & a garden
Just like the 1st Adam, He only knew good
To chose the tree was to experience every evil from the 1st Adam
“He was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief” – Is 53:2
He also experienced the shame
Jesus stripped naked on the cross – exposed
Ps 22:1. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
6 But I am like a worm instead of a man. People make fun of me and hate me.
Jesus is taking away everything that Adam brought – Sin and Shame
Shame says there’s something wrong with me
Jesus takes upon himself everything that’s wrong with me
He puts on me everything that’s right with Him
Grace says there’s nothing wrong with me – because I am New (2 Cor 5:21)
Bear His likeness (1 Cor 15:49)
Where Shame sent me into hiding
Grace says I can come out of hiding
And come boldly into the presence of God – without shame
“By His wounds I am healed” – Is 53:5
Wounds heal, but scars don’t always disappear
So many of us in the church are healed, but hiding scars
Because, when people see scars, they ask “What happened?”
Triggers memories of things we’re ashamed of
I believe in my head what the Bible says – I’m new; no condemnation…
But seeing the scars makes me doubt myself
Can make us struggle with the message of Grace
Is there something that I need to do?
Why won’t the scars go away? Bad reminders
Jesus has scars, too.
His scars didn’t go away just because He was resurrected
When Thomas doubted His resurrection, what did Jesus show him?
His scars
He showed the scars from the most painful & shameful event
He didn’t hide them
Jesus used the scars to Inspire Faith
When people want to know if this thing is real…
Your scars are proof of the Grace of God
Heb 12:2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NKJV
v There was shame there, but He ignored the shame
He focused on the joy & purpose that was set in front of Him
The answer to the question: YES
He IS the Gardener – the Husbandman
He wants to cause growth in your life
Recovery of what was lost in the 1st Garden
Be fruitful and productive, with multiplication in your life
Reign in life