Conflict Between Two Kingdoms

Okay, very good. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church, brothers and sisters, dear friends. We come to the time of our service in which we are going to be sharing the Word of God. I'm going to invite you to please open up your Bibles to the Book of Romans.

We continue with our study through the Book of Romans. So I'm inviting you, brother, sister, dear friend, to open up your Bibles to Romans 5. We are going to continue with our study in this section of Romans 5, starting in verse 12 all the way through verse 21. We have already preached a couple of sermons on that section, and I hope that today we are able to finish this section of Romans 5 from verse 12 through verse 21. You can hear me clearly, brothers and sisters?

All good? Okay, very good. So today, brother, dear sister, I want us to consider the conflict that exists between two kingdoms. I'm going to show you here from the text that there is a conflict that exists between two kingdoms, and I want us to consider that conflict between these two kingdoms that we are going to see here. So we're going to be reading together, we're going to be praying first, and then we're going to be reading together from verse 12 all the way up to verse 21.

We're going to be speaking about the conflict between two kingdoms. conflict between two kingdoms. Let us come before the Lord and let us pray together. Father, we come before you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Once again on this Lord's Day, we give you thanks, Lord, for the life that you have extended, that you have given us.

That we did not deserve to be alive on this day, Lord, but you have granted us mercy and you have extended our days. And you have allowed us purely by your grace to be gathered here together as brothers and sisters. Lord, we ask that your presence will be among us, that your Holy Spirit will lead us, that we will not do these things in the flesh. Lord, that we just simply will not come to church to tick a box of a religion, Lord. But as we come together and as we are seated in these chairs and as we sing together and as we read the scriptures together and as we sit under the preaching of the word, that we will do it because we desire to honor Jesus Christ.

Protect us, Lord, from the burdens of religion. Protect us, Lord, from the burdens of the flesh. Protect us, Lord, from doing things out of morality and out of religiosity, Lord. But that will be the Holy Spirit, the one that leads us to do what we do today on this day, Lord. We have the scriptures before us as we always have them by God's grace every Sunday.

And if your Holy Spirit is not among us helping us to speak and to have clarity about these matters, if your Holy Spirit is not with us as we receive these words and as we read these words, Lord, then we cannot comprehend them. We are very weak and we are feeble. We are very needy, Lord, in many aspects, in our minds, in our hearts. So we need of you, Lord, and we ask that you will bless us with more of you and less of us. And we know that you have said that our faith is strengthened and is initiated and is made stronger.

by the word of the Lord, Christ Jesus himself, who is the author and the perfecter of our faith. So we ask, O Lord, that as we come to these scriptures and as we open our mouth and as we receive the words, Lord, that you will help us to see Christ, that you will teach us to be thankful for the salvation that you've given us. When we see our lives in perspective of the gospel, Lord, that we will understand your purposes, your eternal purposes, that if there is any pain, any difficulty, any struggle, any suffering in our hearts and in our souls, that you will teach us to see the perspective of it through the lenses of Christ Jesus. We are so easily distracted by the affairs and the things of this world. We are so easily distracted by our fears.

We are so easily distracted, Lord, by our uncertainties. So we come before you, Lord, empty-handed, and we ask, Lord, that you will fill us by your Holy Spirit and through your word, that our faith will be genuinely strengthened, Lord, that our eyes will be set on Christ. There are so many needs among us, Lord, of consolation. I pray that your word will be sufficient today to bring consolation to the hearts of my brothers and sisters. The one that is in need of encouragement, Lord, I pray that as we consider the gospel of Jesus Christ, that you will bring encouragement to the soul of my brothers and sisters.

If there is anyone that is in need of exhortation or confrontation, Lord, I pray that through the preaching of your word, you will bring exhortation, confrontation, not for the sake of leaving a person with a sense of guilt or in a jail of guilt, but rather to bring them, by your mercy, to the feet of Christ, where there is forgiveness, where there is righteousness. We all need more of you and less of us, O Lord. And apart from your grace and your presence among us, this is just a religious exercise. So I pray that you will speak to each one of my brothers and sisters. I pray also for our children as they sit with us, Lord.

Some of them are able to understand these things. Some of them are not able to understand. But whatever word, whatever sentence, whatever phrase comes through their ears and their hearts, Lord, I pray that you will use it to bring them to Christ. I pray that you will protect our families' marriages and our church through and by your word. And desiring, Lord, to remain in the throne of grace, Lord, now I say thank you for what you've done for us, for the forgiveness of our sins.

And I pray, O Lord, that as I conclude this prayer, that your spirit will be among us, that it will grant us freedom, Lord, and clarity. If there is anyone among us that is not in Christ, Lord, save today. And all of us, strengthen us in our weaknesses, in our feebleness. Protect us from pride, from thinking that we are something when we are not. Humble us before your presence through your word.

We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Very good. Romans chapter 5, brothers and sisters, it said, I want us to address verses 12 through 21, and today we're going to consider this conflict between two kingdoms. Now the reason why I'm using this word kingdom, the word is not present there in the text, but the reason why I'm using this word is because the apostle is going to use a synonym or a similar word to speak of a kingdom.

If you pay attention to verse 14, The Apostle is going to use this word there in verse 14. He says, yet death reigned from Adam to Moses. We have death reigning. Something reigns in a kingdom, right? That's what a king does.

It reigns. If you pay attention to verse 17, once again, the Apostle is going to use that concept of that idea of reigning that is related to a kingdom. Verse 17, 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. And not only in those two verses, but even concluding this portion in verse 21, once again, the apostle is going to tell us about something that reigns on the sign of death.

And that's something that reigns on the side of Christ. Pay attention to verse 20, 21. It says so that a scene reigned in death. Grace also might reign through righteousness. These were reigning.

Of course, it is a worse is a word that pertains is related to a kingdom. Here in this passage, verse 12 through verse 21, we have this conflict between two kingdoms, the kingdom of death and the kingdom of life, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of this world. We are going to consider the conflict that exists between those two kingdoms. The reading of the scriptures will go, as I said, from verse 12 through 21. May the Lord bless not only the reading of the word, but also the exposition of His word.

This is Romans chapter 5, verse 12. Let us read together the word of the Lord. Verse 12. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and 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. But the free gift is not like the trespass, for if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 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.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification in life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in debt, Grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. This is the reading of God's Word.

And as I said, what I want us to consider this afternoon is this conflict that exists between these two kingdoms. Here we have this kingdom that pertains to the flesh, to obscurity, to unrighteousness, to death. And we have the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're going to come to the conclusion of this passage with this sermon. And Lord willing, next week we're going to be addressing Romans chapter 6.

And up to this point, we have said two important things from this passage, from verse 12 through verse 21. The first is that we aim to give an answer to the question of why did sin enter into the world. We aim to give an answer of why evil enter into the world. And the second thing that we did is that we spoke about Adam being a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you remember in our attempt to bring the scriptures to our hearts, we said that the reason of evil or the reason of sin coming into the world, it is for the purpose of redemption.

And I hope that that is very clear. Redemption is the ultimate goal of God, because in redemption, there's the greatest manifestation of His love. And for redemption to take place, for redemption to happen, you need someone to redeem. And that person that is meant to be redeemed is meant to be in a condition of redemption. In other words, in a condition of evil, so that it's worth redeeming them.

And if the person or humanity is fallen because of the entrance of sin, then there is the need of a Redeemer. And if there is the need of a Redeemer, then God sent His only begotten Son to die upon the cross. Why? Because God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Now, sin is necessary for the redemption that God is going to accomplish.

Why? Because in redemption we have the greatest manifestation of love. It is easier to love the one that is righteous, that is lovable, that deserves to be loved, but requires a greater effort of love to love the one that is unrighteous. and God being God, he demonstrates the greatest manifestation of love and hence he allows sin to enter into the world so that humanity that is fallen and that is in the lowest places of unrighteousness now becomes the object of his greatest love of redemption of reconciliation through the Lord Jesus Christ. So evil and sin is necessary to accomplish that goal of redemption.

This is very important because This situation of evil and God many times becomes the excuse of many people not to come to the Lord. So when we see the situation of the world, the unrighteousness, the brokenness of it, we should know that this is not it. That there is going to be reconciliation, redemption, and the greatness of that redemption, the greatness of that reconciliation is much greater than our experience of suffering. I completely understand because I'm a human, and I suffer, and I have my mind, and I have my heart, and I have my struggles, and I have my fears, and my uncertainties, that this is not something that we enjoy or that we want, that we don't want to be there. But when by the grace of the Spirit of God, brethren, we come to the Scriptures, and we understand who Christ is, what He has done, and what He will do, then we are taken away from the perspective of the suffering of this present world and what is inside of us.

and we're taken by His mercy into the promise of redemption. Our life in this world does not compare with eternity that comes. When we look back, when we are with Him and when we look back, our 70, 80, 100 years, whatever time the Lord has given us will not compare. with the time that we will be with Him. And that is a perspective that we ought to have for the evil that has entered into the world.

And in allowing that evil to enter into the world, the Lord has given us, God has given us a beautiful, perfect history of redemption. in which every element of that history of redemption is interconnected and makes sense and is pointed to Jesus Christ. And that led us last week to speak about the fact that Adam was a type of Jesus Christ. The first man, Adam, was a shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first man in the garden, he was not only a thought, but he was a thought that was servant of Jesus Christ that was going to come.

Through the first man, Adam, sin came into the world. Through the second man or the last Adam, Jesus Christ, life and righteousness and peace have come into the world. So we are not to understand Jesus Christ apart from Adam, who was a type. And the most important thing that I aimed and I tried to say last week about that is that the earthly cannot arrive to the heavenly. The earthly man, Adam, could have never obtained the glories that only Jesus Christ can accomplish.

The earthly cannot accomplish that which is heavenly. And because of that, the heavenly Christ Jesus had to come down in the likeness of the earthly to rescue us so that now we will not only be earthly, but we will also be heavenly. We will be taken up with Jesus Christ to be like Him. And the type of union then that the Christian has with God is one that nobody understands, not even the angels. that have not fallen have the level of communion and intimacy and relationship that the redeemed sinner, that is a Christian, has with God.

Because now we have the love of God. We have the righteousness of Christ. We are one with Him through the person of Jesus Christ. That could have never been accomplished through the garden. That could have never been accomplished through the earthly.

The earthly was not able to inherit the kingdom that only comes from above. So redemption, so salvation is not going back to the garden, brethren. I really don't like when we use this word of restoration or just going back. Christ is much better than what happened in the garden. Christ Jesus is much better of what Adam had in the garden, the type of life.

There is an escalation. There's greater blessing in Jesus Christ when we compare Jesus and the first Adam that was in the garden. And all of these things that we have said are just simply the reflection of a reality that we have in this passage. And that reality is this conflict that exists between these two kingdoms. Now, in light of everything that I've said, perhaps you may think that these two kingdoms is the kingdom of Christ and the other kingdom is the kingdom of Adam.

And while it is true that both Adam and or both Adam and Jesus Christ are the heads of humanity and of the church, and that Adam is the one that is on top of humanity and that Jesus is the one that is on top of the church, while that is true, I'm going to submit to you that the kingdom that was initiated by the sin of Adam is not the kingdom of Adam, but it's the kingdom of Satan. If you pay attention to verse 12, verse 12 never tells us that the originator of sin or the one who began sin or death was Adam. The only thing that verse 12 tells us is that through the disobedience of Adam, sin entering into the world, and that it was through the disobedience of Adam that death entered into the world. But sin and the reality of death in sin already existed and was present there in the garden, as we know, by the serpent. It was the temptation of the serpent to Adam and Eve that was the originator of that sin, entering into the world.

While it is true that Adam was the head of everything that has been created, the existence of evil was there before Adam had already sinned. This reality of death, this reality of sin, entered into the world through as the means or through the door of the disobedience of Adam. That's what the Apostle says there in verse 12. Pay attention, he never says that Adam is the beginner of death or the beginner of sin, but rather that is through his disobedience that enters into the world, it says in verse 12. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death is spread to all men because all sin.

It is Satan, the one that was behind the sin that was committed. That is, of course, not taking responsibility from the disobedience of Adam in our guilt and that which we receive as humans. But it was Satan, the one that was behind that disobedience there in the garden, in the serpent, you remember. So I'm going to submit to you here that what we have is the conflict between two kingdoms. the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of Christ, because even when you go back to Genesis 3, verse 15, you remember that there's going to be enmity between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent.

From that very moment, it starts this enmity. between the offspring of the woman and the woman is going to be through whom Jesus Christ is going to come, and also the offspring of the serpent, a conflict of two kingdoms, the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom that Christ will give to the Father once the consummation of all things will take place, the kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan. And I want us to explore from this passage here, brothers and sisters, the main characteristics of the kingdom of Satan. You will say, why do you want to do that? Why do you want to explore the main characteristics of the kingdom of Satan?

Because I believe, brother and sister, that by us having a perspective of the blackness and the unrighteousness of the world in which we live, we're able to apprehend with thankfulness the glorious gift of salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. Many times, not understanding from where we have been taken is what makes us take our salvation as something of no value. But when we understand where we have been taken from, and the system that we naturally belong to, and the system in which we have been inserted by God's grace, When we see that chasm, that separation between that which belongs to this world and that which God has done for us in Christ Jesus, is that we are empowered not only to be thankful, but to live our lives for the glory of the Lord. I want us to explore from this text here, my dear brother and sister, characteristics of the kingdom of Satan, and then leading to seeing some characteristics of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us do this.

I'm going to give you perhaps three or four characteristics of the kingdom of Satan, and I hope that this will allow us to comprehend better this system of this world. The first one, which is, I think, very clear, this kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of death. That is, I think, very clear. Pay attention to verse 12.

We are told there in verse 12, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death is spread to all men because of all sin. Death came into the world and we are told even that after the moment of Adam to Moses, that death is that which is going to be reigning. In verse 14, the Apostle tells us that even though there was no commandment, even though there was no written law that says, you shall not lie or you shall not kill or you shall not commit adultery, even though there was no written commandment before Moses, Death was already reigning in the world. And that is that people were already dying because of their sins. Death was the substance of this kingdom of Satan.

Not only that, if you pay attention there also in verse 17, as we read it before, death was the substance of that kingdom. It says in verse 17, for if because of one man's trespass, death reign through that one man. Satan, the kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of death. But what is death? What is death?

What is it? Is it just simply that life comes to an end? Is it just simply the cessation of life? Is it just simply death that you have many days of life, and then life comes to an end, and it ceases, and it stops, and then you enter into this stage of death? Is that the definition of death according to the Bible?

Let me submit to you that that is not the case. But rather, the Bible is going to present death as a spiritual power that permeates every aspect. And even those things that we call life are permeated by this spiritual power that is called death. If you quickly come with me to Hebrews 2, verse 14, there we're going to see the first relationship between Satan and this spiritual power of death. Hebrews 2, verse 14.

Hebrews 2, verse 14, we're going to see the first connection between Satan and this spiritual power of death. Hebrews 2, verse 14, pay attention to this. It says, since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself, that is Christ, likewise partook of the same things that through death might destroy. Pay attention to this. the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.

That through the work of Christ he came to destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. Here death is not defined as a state, but here death is defined as a power. as a force, as something that operates. And actually, when you study the Scriptures very carefully, you will realize that death is even personified. It is given kind of like a persona.

When you see and study death in the New Testament, you will see that even it seems that death seems to have this persona that is alive and that it moves and it goes from one place to another. If you come with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, there perhaps we find one of the passages that more clearly tells us about the reality of this power, of this force of death. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, which is a parallel passage to Romans chapter 5, the apostle is going to tell us about the situation between Adam and Christ and the result of that being death. Pay attention to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 22. It says, Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God, the Father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

Pay attention to verse 25. You remember the kingdom of Christ in Romans chapter 5, the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of death. He says in verse 25, For he that is Christ must reign. Once again, it's the same word. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. It is very interesting, brethren, how in the New Testament we have portrayed this battle between death and the Lord Jesus Christ. And pay attention that it says that death is an enemy of Christ. That is not your enemy. Death is your wages because we are sinners.

We deserve death. It is enemy of Christ. It is this system, this power, this force that is in opposition with the Son of God. From the very beginning when sin entered into this world, this world that was meant to be Christ, this world that was meant to be the world of God, this world that was permeated by this power, this force, this dark force that is called death. And one will say, well, yes, that is the force of Satan.

But even when we come to these scriptures, this death goes beyond even Satan. When you go to Revelation chapter 20, for instance, and then you remember the 1,000 years after that, we have the judgment of Satan that is sent into the lake of fire. And after the judgment of Satan, then we have this judgment of Hades and death that are sent into the lake of fire. Of course, not that there is this connection between death and Satan, but it's that Satan or better death has this beyond power, this influence, this force, even to the point that if you remove Satan, the force and the effect of this death will not be removed from the world. As some people say, let us just simply get rid of Satan and then everything is going to be solved.

No, brethren, this system, this force, this power of death has permeated every single aspect of creation in such a way that now the world is in enmity with Christ. Even as we have an insight into the final verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we can see this future proclamation of the victory of Christ over the final enemy. This is the enemy of death. Pay attention to verse 54 of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Chapter 15, verse 54, it says, O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. And brethren, I could continue showing you verses in the New Testament that speak of death as this power as this something, as this force that has permeated every aspect of what is being created that is in complete enmity with the power and with the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have, of course, the promise here that is the Lord Jesus Christ, the one that is going to defeat this final death. But we are to understand now that this power, this system has permeated every aspect of who we are and what we do.

And the question that we ask ourselves here is how does that power of Satan, that is death, operates and how does it work? The Lord Jesus Christ tells us something very interesting connecting this idea of Satan being a murderer and what he does in order to bring this death into action and into application. Come with me to John chapter 8 verse 44. John 8.44, the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is describing and speaking of the devil, is going to tell us something very interesting about the power of Satan.

John 8.44. When the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking about Satan, who has the power of death, this death that is a system that goes beyond and permeates every aspect, He tells us in verse 44, pay attention, You are of your father, speaking to the Pharisees, the Lord says, you are of your father, the devil. And your will is to do your father's desire. Now he's going to tell us that he was a murderer, that he was connected to this power of death.

He says he was a murderer from the beginning. and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Once again, brethren, I could take you through many scriptures in the New Testament, and it's incredible to see the connection that exists between the death that is brought into this world through the kingdom of Satan, the disobedience of Adam, this death that is this force that permeates every aspect of what has been created with this connection of lies. The lies of Satan are connected with the death of Satan that has brought into this world, and the way that the power of this death operates in this world, it is by attacking or by going against the truth that God has given to His people.

That is exactly what we see that happening in the garden, Adam and Eve, the question of the word of the Lord. And this questioning of the word of the Lord is what brought the sin that entered into the world. And from that point onwards, what we see, it is that the presence of death and the presence of Satan corrodes and goes against the truth that God has revealed to his people, to the world, and also to his people, Israel in the Old Testament and the church in the New Testament. And when you connect the enemy of Christ with the church, then you realize that the attack is always going to be with the truth and the word of the Lord. This is what John says to us in 1 John chapter 4.

If you come with me very quickly to 1 John chapter 4, let me just show you there. 1 John chapter 4. 1 John chapter 4. Pay attention to this connection here that the Apostle is going to give us between the spirit of death, that is the spirit of Satan that is in the world, and also the truth, or better, the lies that he brings into this world. 1 John chapter 4.

Pay attention to this. 1 John chapter 4 verse 1. It says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit. the spirits, to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God.

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist or the spirit of the enemy of Christ. This is what enemy or Antichrist means, the enemy of Christ. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them.

For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Saying to the Christians, the spirit of God that is in you is greater than the spirit of Satan that is in the world. This spirit of Satan that is in the world is the spirit that is in these false prophets that are not speaking the truth of God, but speaking the lies of Satan. These lies of these false prophets are the ones that have been used to attack you, little children, because this is the spirit of error that brings death. The spirit of life, Jesus Christ, this is what gives you righteousness and eternal life.

But this spirit of death, that is the spirit of Satan, operates with lies. Changing the truth, changing the word of the Lord, pay attention to verse 5. They, these are those false prophets that are instruments in the hands of Satan, instruments of lies. It says in verse 5, they are from the world. Therefore they speak from the world.

and the world listens to them. This is the false teachers in the hands of the power of Satan that is a liar. We, the apostles, verse 6, we are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. I don't know if this happens to you, but it certainly happens to me, brethren, that when I see the beauty of a child that is born and the life that they have and the many years that they have ahead of them, and when I see the beauty of the mountains that God has created and the animals filled with life that they fly and they go from one place to another, or when I see the beauty of the ocean and all the animals that are in them, or the beauty of the forest or the jungle and all the things that we find there, All of them seem to be so filled with life. But when I come to the Scriptures, the Scriptures tell me that that which I define as living is permeated by death. that the beauty of the mountains, that the beauty of the oceans, that the multiple fish and the multiple animals, that the beauty of a child that is born, and the many days that they seem to have ahead of them, and the many hopes and the many plans that a person can have, that all of that that I define from my human perspective as life is permeated by spiritual death. And that apart from Jesus Christ, apart from the gospel of Christ, apart from the grace of the Lord, that which my senses define as life, that which my senses define as truth, will partake of the last death.

It's going to partake of the lake of fire. I don't know, brethren, but that is mind-blowing to me, that my reality that is immediate to my eyes and to my senses and to my experience, it is contrary to what God says. that we live in a world that is dominated by the ruler of this world, that is Satan, who now operates through this power of death that has permeated every aspect through lies. And then apart from the mercy of God, we are all objects of it. The crazy and powerful thing that the apostle tells us, if you return to 1st Romans chapter 5, it is that this kingdom of Satan, 1st Romans chapter 5, Romans chapter 5, sorry, Romans chapter 5, the interesting thing that Paul is going to tell us, at least implicitly here, is that this kingdom of Satan, this death that has entered into the world, my dear brother and sister, cannot be overcome by the power of the law.

The law does not have the power to overcome this death that is reigning. Return there to Romans chapter 5 and pay attention to what the apostle tells us in verse 13 and 14. He tells us in verse 13, "...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." What Apostle tells us is something very simple. You do not need the written code that tells you you shall not lie to have liars who have to pay the debt of their lives, which is death. You do not need the written code that says you shall not steal that was given to Moses to have a person who is a thief that is going to have to pay for the sin that he or she has committed, which is going to be dead. You do not need the written code for sin to exist because sin was already in us.

Sin is already among us. Sin is in our hearts and in our system. And that's why even when there was no law, there was no written law, people were dying because they were sinners. Not because of the presence or absence of the law, but because we are sinners. Children of disobedience, Ephesians chapter 2, children of wrath, we have fallen in the sin of Adam, and we all are partakers of the same situation.

And you know what is worse? That something that is so good, like the law of the Lord, one will expect that once the commandment comes, and then you have all of this group of people that are sinners, and then you tell them, you shall not lie, you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you would expect that the commandment is going to bring a solution to the problem. But Apostle tells us in verse 21, or in verse 20 of the passage that we have, that when the law came, the sin increased. Verse 20, now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. This kingdom of Satan that operates through death and through lies, it is intensified with the commandment that the Lord gives.

Why? Not because the commandment is bad, but rather because we have a heart that is falling and is broken, and is no longer able to fulfill the commandments of the Lord. So when we have the commandment of the Lord that tells us you shall not lie, instead of making us tellers of truth, what it points us is to the fact that we are already liars. Because the commandment, the written law, does not have the power to overcome the kingdom of Satan, that is a kingdom of death, that has brought lies into this world and that has changed completely all the system of creation. The only one who can make things anew is Jesus Christ.

Because when Christ comes by His grace, then the heart of the person is made a new creation. And now the commandment that was pointing me to my guilt, now is pointing me to the Savior, to the one that has saved me and loved me, and is the power of the Spirit of Christ in me, the one that allows me to obey the commandment, not because of the written law, but because of the living Spirit that is within me. For that reason, apart from Christ, every single person that lived from Adam Until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from Christ, the commandments of the Lord are going to be used to bring more guilt against those who try to be righteous in their own works and in their own deeds. We do not need the law in order to be justified. We do not need the law in order to define sin.

And we do not need the law in order to bring judgment. Because those people there in the Old Testament, you may say, how were they judged there in the Old Testament if there was not the law? Well, they had the work of the law that was written on their hearts. And even though these people did not have a written commandment that said, you shall not kill, or you shall not steal, or you shall not lie, even though they did not have the written code, They did have the revelation of God, the existence of God and their conscience, and they sinned against the Lord because of the work of the Lord that was written in their hearts. They went against the commandments of the Lord that had been given to them in revelation.

So these people sinned and because of that, they are partakers of the kingdom of death. This is the kingdom of Satan. But there's one more impressive thing here that I'm going to show you from John 12, and this is, brethren, that this kingdom of death, this kingdom of Satan was a necessary step to bring about the kingdom of life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of life of the Lord Jesus Christ could have not come into this world apart from this kingdom of dead of Satan coming and permeating every aspect of this world. When the Lord, in John chapter 12, if you come with me, is speaking there to the disciples, when he's speaking to the disciples about the fact that he is going to die and that he's going to be resurrected, he's going to tell them something that is beautiful and something that is actually very powerful.

Speaking of his death, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ is going to say in John chapter 12. Pay attention to what the Lord says to the apostles in John chapter 12, verse 24. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, brethren, this is really powerful. Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, that is, experienced death, of course, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Let's just continue with this reading. Pay attention, verse 27.

Now is my soul troubled, the Lord Jesus said. And what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour. He was going to die. He was going to experience death.

But for this purpose, I have come to this hour, that is to die. Father, glorify Your name.' Then a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, An angel has spoken to him.

Jesus answered, This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. How will the ruler of this world be cast out? Through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 32, And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? In other words, how can you say that the Messiah is going to die?

Who is the Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."

The kingdom of Satan, which is a kingdom of death, was a necessary step in the process or in the history of redemption so that Christ will obtain a type of life that was no longer vulnerable to death. You see that when Jesus Christ died on our behalf and when he took on our flesh and when he died, one of the victories that he had not only overseen, but was victory over death. He defeated the power and the system of the kingdom of Satan. And now the life that Jesus Christ has is a victorious life. The life that the Lord Jesus Christ had before the cross was, of course, a beautiful, powerful life, but the life that now the Son of Man has after the resurrection is a life that has already been tested by the power of death and has defeated death.

So Jesus Christ, when He's resurrected by the Spirit of God, by the power of God, now it is receiving a type of life that has been victorious. And those who, by grace through faith, are united to the Lord Jesus Christ receive the type of life that Jesus, the resurrected Jesus Christ has. And so now those who, by grace through faith, are in Jesus, they are victorious over the kingdom of Satan. This is the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ came to defeat death. And in doing so now, He gives us a type of life that no longer is vulnerable to death.

The reason why we can say that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus, the reason why we can say that we have eternal life, the reason why we can say that we are going to be with the Lord forever and ever, It is not because God is going to come up with this system in which the walls are so strong that sin is no longer going to enter, but rather the protection of our eternal life. It is found inside of us is the life of Jesus Christ that has already been victorious and has defeated the kingdom of Satan and that kingdom of death, something that the law could not do because it was impossible for the Lord to give us that eternal life, something that only the Lord Jesus Christ could accomplish on our behalf. He has done it, he has achieved it, and he has given us that glorious hope that one day this body that is going to die and experience that death is going to enter in a type of life that we have not considered with our imaginations. The life, the definition of life that we have with our senses in this present time does not compare with the glory that is going to come. What we define as beautiful, what we define as living, what we define as fresh, what we define as strong and powerful does not compare.

with the glory that the children of God are going to receive because of the victory of Christ Jesus. What we have as the people of God in this inheritance that is ahead of us does not compare with our imaginations, does not compare with whatever we treasure up in our hearts, does not compare with it. Because God has accomplished something that is beyond the system of this world. Actually, this world is opposite to what we are going to have with Him. What we see, what we touch, what we experience in this world is opposite to what God has given us in Christ Jesus.

And I just wish that one day I could have a glimpse into that glorious majesty of what it is to be a son of God and the eternity that we're going to spend. So when I look back to my fears and struggles, I will see the perspective of it, brethren. because our days are so short compared with the glory that is going to come through the one who was victorious, Christ Jesus, our Lord. That is the glory of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the rest of the soul that a Christian can have, that independently of the manifestations of the kingdom of Satan in this world, if we are united to Christ, brethren, we're not only secure, we don't only have hope, but we also have life.

And there's no one that come and cut our heads or limbs or something that will take the life that God has given us, because the life of Jesus Christ, it is a life that has already defeated the kingdom of Satan. He has come to defeat the works of Satan. He has come to defeat the works of the devil. He has come to defeat death. That is the glorious meaning of what is to have eternal life.

Let us return to our passage and let me just finish with a couple of statements that I'm going to make there about this kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. What should we remember and what should we note about this glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ that we have received? What should we have in our hearts as brothers and sisters, as Christians? What should we store into our minds when we think about this kingdom of Jesus Christ that has been given unto us? First thing, I want you to know that this kingdom is a kingdom that has been given to us by grace as a free gift.

Pay attention to verse 15 of Romans chapter 5, verse 15. It says, but the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. The first man, Adam, was required and was expected to obey. And because he disobeyed, when he was expected to obey, he received what he deserved, and that is that he received death because of his sin, sin entering into the world through the disobedience.

But Jesus Christ, He did not have to come and die for us. The Father did not have to send His Son to die upon the cross for us. It was the grace of God. It was the grace of the Son. It was the free gift of God coming from above that allowed that the mess of the system of this world that was broken, that was under the power of Satan, will have a possibility of solution and a greater purpose.

That was something that was given entirely by the grace of the Lord. Something that is given as a gift that I don't have to do in order to earn it, and something that is received purely by that grace and hence is never going to be taken from me. Because if God has come down to give us the grace of life, who is going to take that grace from those who received it? If God is the giver, who is the one that is going to take and steal it? If God is the one who has conquered, who is the one that is going to bring a charge against God's elect?

If he is the one that has accomplished it, and if he is the one that has conquered, how is anyone going to come to question the state of life of the Christian? Purely by grace. So even when we experience the pains of death, Even when we experience the pains of this world, even when we experience the result of the sin that is in us and within us, even when we experience the sorrows in our minds and in our heads, even when we experience the weakness of our bodies, and when we experience the sins that others have committed against us, In all of them, the grace of God abounds much more. Because when sins were many, His mercy and His grace is much more, brethren. And this is the hope that we Christians have, that when we see the brokenness of this world in which sin has entered through disobedience of Adam, and we see the kingdom of Satan and the ruler of this world, brethren, we belong to a greater king.

We belong to a greater ruler. We belong to a greater shepherd. We belong to one that is greater than the system of this world. Much bigger and larger and more powerful is the one that is in us than the one that is in the world, that is purely by grace. That grace accomplishes, verse 16, justification.

Pay attention to verse 16. And the free gift is not like the result of the one man's sin, for the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. Adam in the garden, he was expected, he was required to obey a commandment, and because he broke that commandment, then judgment came upon him and he was guilty. The free gift of Jesus Christ does not simply cover our sins and put them away and says, I'm just simply going to close my eyes to the sins that they have actually committed. The grace of the Lord is a just grace.

That grace is the one that comes and justifies those who are sinners. And how are we justified? We are justified by the completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and we are made righteous by the grace that comes from above. The grace that the Lord gives us is not only the one that gives us eternal life, but it's also the one that forgives us of our sins and makes us right before the Lord.

Even though we are sinners and we should receive judgment by the grace of the Lord, we can say that we are right before God and that grace is the one that sustains us and the day that we are going to be presented before him We can say, Lord, I have become forgiven, and I consider to be righteous, not because of my works and deeds, but because of the free gift of the Son that has been given to many, and that is the people of God. Third, and I'm very soon going to finish this, who are the ones that receive this grace that comes from the kingdom of the Lord? And this is a very difficult passage that perhaps many times people use Brethren to speak about, you know, pay attention, for instance, to verse 18. It says, Therefore, as one trespass led to the condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to the justification of life for Old men. So people say, well, you know, if death came into the world, if death came into the world, this kingdom of Satan has come into the world.

Death that has spread to all men and through the disobedience of Adam, all have died. The scripture very clearly tells us in verse 18 that through the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the obedience of Jesus Christ, it says, all receive life. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification for the life for all men. And someone might come to the conclusion that the sin of Adam in the garden has brought condemnation to all, but the cross and the accomplishments of Jesus Christ has brought life and justification to all men, and hence all people are going to end up in that kingdom of life, and no one is going to end up in hell paying for the sins that they have committed. We know that that is not true from the scriptures.

But there's just simply a clear verse that tells us that those who partake of the kingdom of Christ are not everyone or all, but are actually those who receive the grace of the Lord. Pay attention to verse 17. Very clearly tells us who are the ones who are partakers of the kingdom of Christ. It says, verse 17, for if because of one man's trespass, death reign through that one man, Pay attention to this statement. 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.

Who are the ones that are going to reign in life with the Lord Jesus Christ? Those who are going to reign in life with the Lord Jesus Christ are those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness. They will reign through the one man, Jesus Christ. What the Apostle is doing and what he uses when he says that all have died in Christ and that all will live in Christ is that all of them who belong to Adam have died. And all of them who belong to Jesus Christ will live.

The fullness, the entirety of those who belong to Adam have died. And the fullness and the entirety of those who are in Christ Jesus will have life. Come with me quickly to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I know that this is a verse that sometimes creates a little bit of difficulty. And I will just conclude this point with this verse. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 15, is a parallel passage.

Sometimes people might ask you and ask that question about the atonement or about the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If all die in Adam, then all are alive in Jesus Christ. So that means that everyone goes to heaven, or that Jesus Christ died for all upon the cross. The parallel passage would help us understand what the apostle means. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 22.

It says, for us in Adam all die. So also in Christ shall all be made alive. And someone says, you see, if everyone dies in Christ, then everyone is made alive in Christ Jesus. This is not what the apostle means. The apostle, what he means is that everyone who is in Christ dies, and everyone who is in Adam dies, and everyone who is in Jesus lives.

Pay attention to the following verse, 23. But each in his own order. Christ, the firstfruits, then at his coming, those who belong to Christ. Who are all of those who live in Christ? Those who belong to Jesus Christ.

All of those who belong in Jesus Christ are the ones that are going to enter into the kingdom of life. And all of us who belong to Adam are the ones who have died. All of us have died in Adam. And by the grace of the Lord, we can be inserted into the kingdom of life that is the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And it is by faith that we are recipients of the grace that comes from above.

Let us return, please, to the text. I'm really hoping to finish this passage today, so please bear with me just five or seven minutes because I want to go through this text. Second or third, it is not only that this kingdom of grace is given to us by grace and we receive justification, and that is for all of those who are in Christ Jesus, but also in this kingdom of life, brothers and sisters, we have this future promise of righteousness. Pay attention to verse 19. It says in verse 19, For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, that is through the sin of Adam, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

And pay attention to the tense there. The many will be made righteous. Through the sin of Adam, we were made sinners. But through the obedience of Christ, we will be made righteous. What Apostle means is that there's going to be one day, brethren, in which sin will be no more.

in which the sin that is present in us and among us and the victory of this system of Satan that has conquered through death and lies that has permeated every aspect of your minds and of your thoughts and of your bodies and of your days and of everything that has been created that there's going to be one day in which the Lord Jesus Christ comes to make all things anew, and the greatest of the things that He makes anew is going to be His people, because then His people that is made anew, sin will be in them no more. No more tears, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more experience of death. And let me submit to you that not even the happiest of the moments that we have experienced in this dispensation of death compares with the joy and the glory that the redeemed ones are going to experience once sin is removed from us. Not even the greatest of the blessings and the happiest of the moments that we have received in this dispensation of death will compare to what it is to be before the presence of the Lord. And that sin is not there to separate you from him.

Because even in the greatest of the moments of the Christian undecide, we still have sin that separates us and that puts us in a place of pride and that puts us in a place of wanting to please ourselves. But the day that arrives and the sin is no longer present in us, we will be able to behold the beauty of Jesus without the tainted lessons of sin, without the unrighteousness of our eyes. We're going to be able to see the greatness of our Savior with clear minds, with hearts that are for Him alone. And that moment, brethren, will be something that we cannot express with words on this side of eternity. But praise be to God that we have these scriptures here to speak to us about who Christ Jesus is and what He has accomplished for us.

And then finally, this leads us to the certainty of that glorious eternal life that we have there in verse 21. Pay attention to verse 21. It says, "...so that a sin reigned in death." Grace also might reign through righteousness, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That is the ultimate goal, that we are going to receive that glorious eternal life. And I've said this many times, and with this I conclude, eternal life is not that we are going to have eternal days and that we are not going to die. Life is that now we have the life of Jesus Christ in us, and because we have the life of Jesus Christ in us, that means not only that we're not going to die, but that we're going to have perfect communion with the Lord. Two kingdoms, the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of Christ. And by nature, brethren, we belong to the kingdom of Satan.

When you go to 1 John 3, verse 8 through 10, it says that there are only two types of children in the world, the sons of the devil and the sons of God. It does not matter how beautiful is the countenance of a baby that is newly born. It does not matter the sweetness and the tenderness of his or her skin. It does not matter the innocence of their ways. It does not matter how beautiful they are as they give one or two steps and as they say this or that word.

All of us have been tainted by the power of sin and the only hope that we have is the Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, and when we look outside of this, you see how we gather here on a Sunday and we do church and we sing together and we all do all of these things? Our family members, our parents, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, co-workers, apart from the grace of God, they are bound to the kingdom of Satan. Apart from the grace of the gospel, they are bound to the system of this world. Apart from the good news of Jesus Christ, they are walking step by step to the day in which they are going to face the Lord, and they are going to be sent to where they belong, to where they deserve.

And we have the message that brings about the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the message of grace. We have the message of justification. We are the ones who have the message of eternal life. We are the ones who have the message of the King Christ Jesus.

Why are we going to remain quiet? Why are we going to remain with our mouths shut and saying nothing about it? We are the ones who have been entrusted now to be ambassadors of this kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we communicate and as we proclaim this message, we hope that the same sovereign grace that saved us and redeemed us and rescued us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the sun, that is the same sovereign grace that brings salvation to the ones we love, to our families, to our friends, and coworkers, so that in all of that, the glory will be for the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen?

Amen. Let us pray. Father, as I come and as we come before you, Lord, I give you thanks, Lord, for your scriptures and the word of God that we have before us. Lord, I pray that you will help us to be thankful for the grace that you have given us and the favor that you have bestowed upon us. You have redeemed us and saved us.

Lord, when we see in perspective our sufferings, our struggles, and our difficulties, when we see, Lord, the pains of this world and the difficulties of this world, the sin that we commit and the sin that people commit against us, and the sorrows and the difficulties, Lord, Help us to have the perspective of the kingdom of Christ. Help us, Lord, to have the perspective that there is one that is victorious and the death that we experience and the pain and the struggles that we experience will come to an end. Give us the hope, give us the certainty, give us the assurance of what it is to belong and to be in Christ Jesus. I pray, Lord, if there is anyone among us who is here present that is not in Christ Jesus, even if there is anyone of our children, Lord, that can understand the proclamation of the gospel, Lord, we pray that you will be merciful towards our children, that you will be merciful towards our people, Lord, that you will grant us by your grace an understanding of the completed work of Christ, that we will be filled in our hearts with thankfulness for the amazing grace that you have manifested and given to us. When we look back and when we see the many days and as we grow older and weak in our bodies and the infirmities of our flesh and our minds that become weaker and our bodies grow old, Lord, and as we advance in days, Lord, and as we look back and life is just simply a vapor that appears and vanishes away.

And as we look back and see our days of our childhood, and we were teenagers, and our parents, and our families. And as we see all of these days that so easily and rapidly pass away, Lord, and as we see ahead, Lord, that we will not think that the strength of power is in us, but that we will be humble before you, Lord, to consider our days, to consider our ways, to consider our lives. give us please a perspective of this glorious kingdom of the Lord Jesus, that even as we face death and as we face tribulations and trials, we have this perspective of who Christ is and what he has done. I pray for each one of these brothers and sisters here present, Lord. I pray that whatever word that we have read or whatever word has been preached according to your truth, that only those things that correspond to what is your will and what is your truth that will abide in the hearts of these brothers and sisters.

Lord, please strengthen them in their ways, strengthen them in their minds, protect them from themselves. Help them, Lord, to grow in the truth and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. There's so much death and so much lies, even inside of our hearts, in our minds. So I pray, Lord, that you will protect us from those things that distract us from the truth of Christ. And that we may learn, just as the Lord Jesus Christ died in order to bear much fruit and be victorious over death, that we are also called to die, to take up our cross and to follow the Lord Jesus.

That we're also called to die to this world and to have our eyes fixed on things that are above and on things of this earth. We can do this in our own strength. We cannot do this through the written law. We pray, Lord, that you will grant us the Holy Spirit that is the one that is strengthen us to see Christ and to be thankful for what you've done for us. As we now come to this table, as we always do every Sunday, Lord, I pray that you will grant us a genuine desire in our hearts to be joyful for the fact that we belong to the kingdom of Jesus.

That we might remember the day of our salvation, the day in which you saved us, Lord. That we might remember, Lord, the work of your providence, how you brought us to you. That we might remember, Lord, the place from where we were taken. That apart from your grace, we will continue in the kingdom of Satan, that is a kingdom of death, a kingdom of lies, a kingdom that delivers eternal death. that we may remember, Lord, how by Your grace and in Your mercy You brought us and gave us life.

We praise You and we give You thanks. We ask that You will forgive us for the many times that we have been easily distracted by the things of this world, and that we have considered the things of this world to be more appealing and more satisfying than You. Forgive us, Lord, and strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit as we approach this table. Bless us, I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.