True & Greater: Adam

True and Greater:  Adam


False Dichotomies
OT Angry God, NT Loving Jesus
OT Works and Law, NT Faith and Grace
Dangerous because they say God changes.
Dangerous because they say God changes in how he deals with people.
Dangerous because they say God failed.

Luke 24:25-27, 44





Adam.  He was created with God as the son of God and had So much potential.  But so tragically, he did not live up to his hype, he failed.

"The entrance of human sin into the world plunged the whole creation into ruin; the earth mourns because of us." RC Sproul

How we experience failure
For not measuring up to your dad’s dreams of success for us.
For not measuring up to our own ethical standards. (sexual sin)
From all the risks you haven’t taken and let slip through.
For letting others down (boyfriend, kids, friends)

However you feel failure, it all points back to the end of our failure.  Like Adam, we have failed to do what we were intended to do.  We do not reflect God as his image bearers.  We fail to worship.  This is our great failure.




Responses to Failure

Become a Fault-Finder (Anger)   
    - ”It’s her fault for dressing like that.”
    - “They gave me no other option.”
    -point the finger at Adam or God and say it is their fault


Try Really Really Really Hard  (Self-Determination)    
    -overachiever
    -”Look at all my _______ over here.  Nevermind that little mess over there.”
    -to be the true son of God where Adam failed.)


Set the Bar Really Low (Fear)
    -Me.

4. Give up. (Despair)
    - Worried, because we have some in our family who are on the verge of this.

 “How’s that working out for you?” - Kevin Platt




In Search of Option 5
1.  Geneology in Luke shows that he is the Son of God
2.  Temptation in the wilderness shows that Jesus passed the temptation test where Adam failed.
3.  Peter tempts jesus to not go the way of the cross, he says get behind me satan.
4.  Finally, in the garden and on the cross Jesus passes, he does not turn aside from the will of His Father.

Romans 5



5.  “Confess & Cling” to the alien righteousness of Jesus, the True and Greater Adam

1. Looking to Jesus’ death on a cross for sinners frees the fault-finder to see and own his own failure.

2. Resting in Jesus frees the self-determined overachiever to rest in a finished work.

Trusting in Jesus’ unparrallelled success frees the Low Bar Setter to dare, dream and risk.

4. Delighting in Jesus frees those ready to give up with a reason and power to live.

Becoming a Christian isn’t about fixing all your failures so you can come to God.
Becoming a Christian is about admitting all your failures and that you’ll never get to God if it is not for the success of another - Jesus, the True and Greater Adam.

Living the Christian life isn’t so much about not failing.  
Living the Christian life is more about what you do when you fail.

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