"SPECIAL BLESSING"

A Marked Man
Romans 5:12-19
July 10, 2011 AM

Stand & Read Romans 5:12-19

This morning I want to speak to you about three men who were marked for death.

Raise your hand if you have ever played paintball? If you think about it paintball is kind of a sadistic sport. Actually, “play” is not the best term to describe it…how about participate or endure?

Do you know what they call a paintball gun? They call it a marker. Do you know why?
Because it leaves a mark! Demonstrate??!!

I thought about demonstrating this…but decided against it.
In paintball, when you have been marked your out! Even if you marked yourself!

Sin is like this paintball marker…when it hits us, not only does it hurt…it also leaves a mark…and when we sin against God, it will always leaves its mark…

The Bible makes it clear to us that every person bears the mark of sin.
“For all have sinned and fall short of God’s Glory”

Because we bear the mark of sin, we are marked for death – Romans 6:23

What is sin?
Sin is anything that I think, say or do that displeases or disobeys God...
Sin is going beyond the boundaries that God has set up…
Sin is doing that which I am not supposed to do…
But it is also not doing what I know I am supposed to do.
Bottom line: Sin is simply missing the mark of God’s perfection…

God requires perfection because He is perfect; He demands holiness, because He is Holy!
He has set the standard or the mark…

There is no getting around the fact that we are all sinners! And rather than hitting God’s mark of perfection, every one of us have missed the mark…and since we have missed that mark, we have marked ourselves as sinners.

Now sin can leave all kinds of marks upon a person’s life…whether it is alcoholism, adultery, drugs, pornography, lying, cheating, stealing, and the list goes on...

While it is true that sin can be is fun…we also need to know that when the fun is over you are left with the stains of sin upon your life…the marks or consequences remain!

Paintball can be fun…but when it’s all over you are likely to have some marks.
There is one mark of sin which is no doubt the ugliest of all…it’s the mark of death! You see, sin marks you for death…That’s what happened in the very beginning!

Adam Was a Marked Man…
Why? Because he did what God had clearly commanded him not to do!

Read Genesis 2:16-17 – God said, “Adam if you eat of that tree, you will surely die!”
There will be no question about it, “Adam you will be marked for death!”

(Don’t get the wrong view of God…)

Read Genesis 3:6 – “…and he did eat” & the very moment that he ate, he was marked for death!

Guess what! He tried to cover his mark of sin…it didn’t work!
He tried to hide from God…because of his mark of sin…it didn’t work!
He tried to blame another for his mark of sin…it didn’t work!

Adam was guilty before God…he had marked his own life with sin through disobedience to God…and so he was now a marked man…marked for death!

I looked it up…Genesis 5:5 - 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died…Just like God said he would.

But not only was Adam marked for death…

You Were Marked for Death…
Why? You were marked for death because of Adam’s sin and…your own.

Here’s the difference:
Adam’s sin will put you in the grave one day…physical death…But your sin will put you in Hell…eternal separation from God.

Romans 5:12 – When Adam sinned against God way back there, the judgment of death was passed on from him to us. Just as Adam died, so will we die…

Someone says… “Well that’s not fair! Why should I be punished for what Adam did?”

You see, even though Adam is to be blamed for what he did in the Garden long ago, and even though what he did affected you and me…we can never blame Adam for our sin!

Consider your life…Have you ever sinned against God? Of course you have!

You see if we are honest with ourselves we know that we are as guilty as Adam was…and through our own sinfulness we have been marked for death.

Read Romans 3:10-20 – In other words were are all guilty before God.

I John 1:8, 10 - 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This leads me to my final point today…not only was Adam marked for death because of sin, and not only were you and I marked for death because of sin, but…

Jesus Was Also Marked for Death…
Why? Not because of His own sin, but because of Adam’s sin and because of our sin He was marked for death…

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden long ago, Jesus was marked for death.

Let me make this plain with John 3:16

God loved Adam! He created Adam in His own image; gave him a perfect environment; gave him complete freedom in that place…even gave him a beautiful companion to be his helper…But with this incredible gift of free will Adam chose to rebel against God…

Did God stop loving Adam because of His sin? No!
Did God…because of His love for Adam…take away the penalty of sin? No!

What did God do?
Genesis 3:21 - 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Basically, something innocent had to die so that Adam who was marked for death could live and walk in freedom once again!

(Most Bible scholars believe that the animal which was sacrificed was a lamb…that little lamb had to die, in order for Adam and Eve to live! The marks of their sin had to be covered, in order for them to be forgiven.

Now fast forward to Israel’s days in Egypt…
Every First Born Male in Egypt Had Been Marked for Death…
Read Exodus 11:4-5

Time will not allow us to spend a lot of time here, but basically God was judging the sins of Egypt…every firstborn male in the land was marked for death.

There was only one way to escape the judgment…An unblemished lamb had to be killed and its blood smeared on the door posts of the house so that the Death Angel would pass over that house.

As long as the blood was on that house, those inside would be safe…
Again we see that which was marked for death could walk in freedom because an innocent lamb died in its place.

Fast forward again to the days of John the Baptist…
“Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world”

He was referring to Jesus who would give His own life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world…

While we were all marked for death by sin, Jesus came to take all our marks away…they were all laid on Him, so that everyone who believes might be marked, NOT FOR DEATH, but for LIFE!

Closing:
We all have been marked for death by sin…the question today is…have you been marked for life by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus Christ?

Jesus was marked by death so that your mark of death could be removed…
Isaiah 53:5-6 – 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Illustrate – Marked for life – (Look for a volunteer)…“Can you come up here and help me for a moment…(Put on a dirty T-shirt)…you were marked by sin”…Do you believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God which can take away your sins?” (Put white T-shirt on over it…)

For all who will believe, He says, though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”

What about you today? Are you still marked for death or have you been marked for life?

Maybe there is someone here today whom God is drawing to salvation…will you come to Him today? Do you believe that He alone has the power to take the mark of death away from you and mark you for life?

Senior Pastor John Sweat, Sr
Crossroads Baptist Church
1595 Baxley Road
Middleburg, Florida