Second Helping – 3 – Second Option

 

We are Redemption Church in Plano, Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and we are in the 3rd week of our series called second helping.

 

Second Helping

We have talked about a 2nd Kingdom and a 2nd chance. Each week we have told you that God favors the second!

Today we are talking about a second option.

 

Second Option

It feels good to have options. Life is stressful when your options are limited.

We have free will to make most of the choices in our life. You have the option to change your habits, lifestyle, thoughts, and focus. Sometimes that is the message we need to hear.  You have the option to change.

But there are some things we do not have the option to change.

You do not have the option to change who your parents are. You were not given a choice in the matter, you ere just born.

If we had the option to choose our parents, we might be tempted to try another option.

Wealthy parents.
Powerful parents.
More loving parents.
Cooler parents.

We love our parents… but we wouldn’t mind if our parents were billionaires.

But we get no such option.

In fact, according to the story of the Bible, we all proceed from the first Adam.

 

First Adam

None of us get a say in the matter. Adam came first and we all come from his lineage.

Do you know what happened to Adam?  He died.
Do you know what happened to his children? They died.
Do you know what happened to Noah, Abraham, and Moses?  They died.

1 Corinthians 15:21 (NIV) For as in Adam all die…

Everyone who comes from Adam dies. There is no other option in Adam. 100% of his children die.

Everyone who comes from Adam is separated from God. Not a single child of Adam is allowed back in the garden.

Everyone who comes from Adam has no hope.  Our patriarch Adam is dead, and it is only a matter of time until we are dead.

We need a second option.

 

Second Option

If the first option is death, we need a second option of life.
If the first option is separation from God, we need a second option of reconciliation with God.
If the first option is hopelessness, we need a second option that gives us hope.

Now you are all ready for me to talk about Jesus… and we will… but first I want to tell you what is NOT a good second option.

-Politics and government are not a good second option.
-Religion is not a good second option.
-More money is not a good second option. “mo money mo problems” – Notorious B.I.G.
-More pleasure is not a good second option.
-More power is not a good second option

In fact, these are not second options at all… they are more of the same first option that has left us dying, without hope, and far from God.

We need a second option! We need a second Adam.

 

Second Adam

That first Adam will not do! Everyone who lines up after the first Adam dies hopelessly separated from God.

We need a second Adam to line up behind.

Jesus is that second Adam. Jesus has a lot of titles in Scripture… Savior, Redeemer, Bread of Life, Son of God, Holy One, King of Kings… MANY MORE! Chances are that you don’t know this title given to Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

1 Corinthians 15: 45 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 is of heaven.

V45 – The FIRST ADAM became a living being. Back in Genesis 1 God breathed into Adam and the first Adam became a living being.

The LAST ADAM, that is Jesus, he was more than a living being.  Jesus is a LIFE GIVING SPIRIT!

The first Adam received life…
The LAST ADAM GIVES LIFE!  He gives LIVING WATER!

John 7:38 (NIV) Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

The SPIRIT OF GOD… THE LIVING WATER… THE LIFE GIVING HOLY SPIRIT… it comes from Jesus AND IT IS JESUS. Jesus is the Life Giving Spirit!

 

A lot of people get confused about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let me simplify this for you. J-E-S-U-S.

 

Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Col 2:9
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Col 1:15
Jesus is the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. Isaiah 9:6
Jesus is the only way to the Father. John 14:6
Jesus is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:17

When you picture God, and all that God is, I want you to picture the man Jesus Christ. Jesus is all that God is, bodily!

 

You talk about a great second option.  The second option is God HIMSELF!

With that in mind read these verses.

1 Corinthians 15:46 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 is of heaven.

The first Adam is natural. The last Adam is Spiritual.
The first Adam is made from the dust of Earth. The Last Adam is heavenly.

 

Second Birth through the Second Adam

We talked about being born again last week. Consider birth through the first Adam and birth through the Last Adam.

Birth through the first Adam is temporary… NEW Birth through the Last Adam is eternal.
Birth through the first Adam is physical… NEW Birth through the Last Adam is Spiritual.

Jesus Christ is the second option and that is why the New Borth has everything to do with Him.

-We repent because of the blood he shed, and we turn towards His holiness.
-We are baptized in the water INTO CHRIST and we take on His identity. Not the identity of the first Adam, but the identity of the LAST ADAM.
-Then we are filled with His Spirit. Jesus is that life giving Spirit and Jesus is the one who baptizes us with His Spirit. (Luke 3:16)

We either line up behind the first Adam, or we line up behind the Last Adam.

Now this is some major theology about the identity and nature of Jesus Christ and the Born again experience… if you want to know more about this we have a Born Again Bible Study that we can walk you through one on one.

 

BORN AGAIN BIBLE STUDY – text #BORNAGAIN to 469-467-8111

We would love to study this out with you.

But now, let’s pivot from the heavy theology and talk about your life.

 

First option or Second Option?

Is your life lined up after the first Adam or the Last Adam?

• When you experience relationship problems… Do you respond like the first or Last Adam?
• When you are tempted…
• When it comes to your money…
• When it comes to your time…
• When it comes to forgiveness…
• When it comes to serving others…
• When it comes to trusting God…

Who is your life aligned with?

The first Adam brought SIN to all.  The last Adam brought FORGIVENESS to all.

The first Adam brought DEATH to all.  The last Adam brought LIFE to all.

The first Adam is still in the grave.  The last Adam did not last 3 days in the grave!  He is resurrected!

Does your life look more like the first Adam, or the Last Adam.

 

Jesus Christ is that Last Adam. He is our second option.  God favors the second.

You don’t need to be #1 in the eyes of others. We need to be more like Jesus.

 

Please close your eyes and bow your head for a moment.

We are going to talk to God. What is it that you need to talk to God about?

What part of your life is not aligned with Jesus?

Have you been born again? Do you have that life giving Spirit stirred up within you?

Paul calls Jesus the LAST Adam, rater than the second Adam.  If Jesus was the second Adam, then that might leave room for a third Adam. 

There is no third Adam. Jesus is the only option to…

• Fear
• Hatred
• Depression
• Death
• Whatever your struggle is

Come tell Jesus that He is your choice today.