'GOD'S UNBELIEVABLE LOVE - Sermon Outlines. Org
"GOD'S UNBELIEVABLE LOVE!"
ROMANS 5:6-11
INTRO: 1 John 4:8-10 tells us, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins." It's not easy for us to understand the depth of God's love for us. Because of our pride and fear, we fail to grasp how undeserving we are and how free His love is.
When we consider our relationship with God, we tend to feel that His affection for us is based on our performance. When we do well He loves us; but if we foul up, then we expect only His scorn. But God does not love us because we deserve it. He loves us in spite of what we are. 1 John 4:10 tells us, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." It is because of what Jesus Christ has done for us that we know we are always loved by God (Haddon W. Robinson. Our Daily Bread. Volume 39. Number 5. August 4, 1994).
Paul, in our text, discusses "God's Unbelievable Love," and shows us the great depth of our justification. He also gives us one of the clearest definitions of agape love. This passage actually shows the true meaning of agape love. Agape love goes much farther than phileo love. Phileo love is brotherly love, a love that gives itself for a brother. But agape love is a godly love, a sacrificial love, a love that gives itself for those without strength, for the ungodly, for sinners, and for enemies. In this passage of Scripture we see that Jesus Christ died for us when we were ''without strength,'' ''ungodly,'' “sinners," and “enemies.” That takes a special kind of love-AGAPE-God's love! We cannot understand it, but thank God we can believe it! And when we do, we find peace nothing else can bring! (M. R. DeHaan. Our Daily Bread. Volume 41. Number 1. April 25, 1996).
The hymn-writer wrote:
"O the love that drew salvation's plan! 0 the Grace that
brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!”
I want us to see today three precious reasons why God's love is so “UNBELIEVABLE”.
GOD'S LOVE IS UNBELIEVABLE IN THE FACT THAT:
(1) WE WERE UNGODLY AND WITHOUT STRENGTH, YET CHRIST DIED
FOR US
ROMANS 5:6-7—“For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to
die.”
*WE WERE:
A. WITHOUT STRENGTH (v6a). The word “strength” here is translated
from a Greek word that means "weak, worthless, useless, helpless,
hopeless, destitute, powerless." We were all spiritually worthless and
useless and unable to help ourselves. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the
condition of every person before they by faith come to Christ—“And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation
in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others.”
The hymn-writer wrote:
"I was nothing, no nothing till Jesus came in. No I was nothing, no
nothing till he cleansed me within. But now I'm so happy; I can smile
and say, I'm someone I'm a child of the King!"
Jesus Christ came to seek and save that which was "lost". Until a
man realizes he is lost-weak, worthless, useless, powerless apart from
God; he will remain helpless, hopeless, and hell-bound!
But our society had exchanged the word "lost” for other words. Today
man doesn't need a Savior he needs a shrink, he doesn't need to step
into Christ's light, he just needs an education; he doesn't need One to
bear his blame, he just needs someone to blame for his predicament!
ILLUS: You might as well try to describe a sunset to a blind man,
play music for a deaf man, talk to a dead man, as to discuss
the deep things of God with an unconverted sinner. "...The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God…" (1
Cors. 2:4). We might as well try to catch sunbeams with a
fishhook or talk nuclear physics with a stone monument in a
city park. The most intelligent PhD. cannot take it any better
than a hillbilly. As far as spiritual realities are concerned, a
man who has not been born-again is blind and cannot see,
deaf and cannot hear, dead and cannot feel (Vance Havner.
The Vance Havner Notebook. p. 276).
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
God sent His son into this world to save the "lost"-the spiritually blind,
weak, helpless, and hopeless. But until a man's heart is moved and
enlightened to his condition by God's Spirit he cannot be saved! (John
3:5).
B. WE WERE UNGODLY (v6d). The Greek word for "ungodly” here means
“not like God, different from God, profane, having a different life-style
than God.” God is perfect. Man is ungodly, he is imperfect, profane,
deceitful, wicked. The direct opposite of everything God is! (Romans
3:10-18). According to those verses the whole of a man's inner being
without God is controlled by sin: his mind ("none that understandeth"),
his heart ("none that seeketh after God"), and his will ("none that doeth
good") (Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume
one. p. 521).
C. BUT IN "DUE TIME" CHRIST DIED FOR US (v6b). It was God's
appointed time. His destined time, appropriate time. Men had to
learn they were without strength and ungodly, that they needed a
Savior. This was the purpose of the O.T. Law, to show men they were
sinful and needed a Savior! Galatians 3:22-25 tells us, “But the
Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 4:4-5
says, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Friend, if you are not saved, NOW is the right time, the accepted time
to be saved! (2 Corinthians 6:2).
D. CHRIST DIED FOR US (v6c). Many times just a tiny word is filled
with meaning! The Greek word for "for" here means "for our benefit,
our sake, in our behalf, in our stead, as our substitute." If would have
you to consider:
• Christ Died As Our Sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 5:7b says, “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
• Christ Died As Our Ransom. (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
• Christ Died As Our Propitiation. 1 John 2:2 tells us, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The word "propitiation" means "to make atonement for and reconcile." This means that our account, as sinners, before Holy God, is FOREVER SETTLED!
Salvation is free, but it is not cheap! It cost God the death of His only
Son who bore all our guilt freely on the Cross! (Isaiah 53:5-6).
E. GOD’S LOVE IS AN UNCOMMON AND UNBELIEVABLE LOVE (v7).
Some people will attempt to save a person caught in a tragedy, and
others offer their lives to a cause they believe in and will die for the
person that cause represents; but this is not what Christ did! Christ
did not die for the righteous and godly man, not for the good and pure
man.
• He died for “the ungodly,” those who were the very opposite of
righteousness and goodness.
• He died for those "without strength," the useless, destitute,
worthless, and those without value to society and men.
Christ died for those whom no one else would die for! He died for
those who were diametrically opposed to God, the very opposite of all
He is! Such is the unbelievable love of God!
(2) WE WERE SINNERS, YET GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE FOR US
ROMANS 5:8-9—“ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.”
*There are two interesting Greek words in v8. The first is the one
translated "commendeth" which means "to show, prove, or demonstrate".
The other which is translated "sinners" which refers to "a man who is
sinful.” One who sins by:
• Disobeying God's Word and Will.
• Living Selfishly.
• Ignoring God's Commandments.
• Doing His Own Thing.
• Living and Pursuing the Things of the World.
The point is: "While we were yet sinners" God proved His love for us. This is the unbelievable love of God. He stooped down to save us!
God Proved His Love:
A. BY GIVING HIS ONLY SON TO DIE FOR US. Think of the enormous
price God paid to save us: He gave up His Son to die for the unworthy
and ungodly, the wicked and depraved. Consider What God Did By
Giving Up His Son:
• God had to humiliate His Son by stripping Him of His eternal glory and clothing Him with corruptible flesh (Philippians 2:5-8).
• God had to watch His son walk through this life being rejected, denied, cursed, abused, tortured, and murdered.
• God had to destine His Son to die upon the Cross for the sin of the world.
• God had to lay all the sin of the world on His Son and let Him bear it all.
• God had to judge His Son as the sinner and condemn Him to Death for sin.
• God had t9 cast His wrath against sin upon Christ.
• God had to turn His back upon Christ in death.
God proved His love. We do not deserve it-we never have and we never
will-but God loves us with an unbelievable love! All we can say is
"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
B. BY JUSTIFICATION THROUGH CHRIST’S BLOOD (v9a). God,
because of what His Son did on the Cross, declares us righteous and
justified before Him (Just As If I'd Never Sinned)! Matthew Henry said,
"God is said to 'cast sin behind His back, to hide His face from it,'
which and the like expressions, imply that the ground of our
blessedness is not our innocency, or our not having sinned, but God's
not laying it to our charge (Matthew Henry. The Quotable Matthew
Henry. p. 156).
C. BY SAVING US FROM WRATH (v9b) (John 3:16; Romans 8:1). Those
who are in Christ Jesus need never fear facing condemnation or having
to spend one second under the frown of God's wrath because Jesus
Christ bore our wrath for us! 1 Thessalonians 5:9 assures all who
trust in HIM—“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(3) WE WERE ENEMIES, YET GOD RECONCILED AND SAVED US
ROMANS 5:10-11—“ For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we
also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
now received the atonement.”
*How Does God Do This? :
A. GOD RECONCILES US BY CHRIST’S DEATH (vlOa). Romans 6:23
tells us, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” D. L. Moody said, “I must die or else
someone must die for me. If the Bible doesn’t teach that it doesn’t
teach anything.” The Greek word translated "reconciled" used in v10
means "to change, to change thoroughly, to exchange, to change from
enmity to friendship, to bring together, to restore." The idea is that two
people who should have been together all along are brought together;
they have been reunited and enjoy restored fellowship. To understand
the importance of reconciliation, we must understand three things:
1. Sin Broke the Relationship Between Us And God. We became God's enemy. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30—“ He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Every man is an enemy of God, for every man is a sinner and ungodly. The sinner cannot be God's friend because he is against God. The sinner:
• Rebels against God.
• Rejects God.
• Curses God.
• Ignores God.
• Disobeys God.
• Fights against God.
• Denies God.
• Refuses to live for God.
When we sin against God we work against Him and we help to
promote evil by word and deed. The point is: God did not
reconcile us when we were righteous and good, but He reconciled
us and saved us when we were enemies-ignoring and rejecting
Him! Jesus said in Luke 19:10—“ For the Son of man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost." The word "lost" there in the
Greek literally means "destroyed, rotten, ruined, perishing." That
what sin does to man. It is then Christ died for us!
2. God Reconciled Us By the Death of His Son (vlOa). When a man trusts Christ who died for Him...
• God accepts the death of Christ for His sentence of death.
• God accepts the sins borne by Christ for him.
• God accepts the condemnation borne by Christ as the condemnation due to man.
Therefore man is free from sin and the punishment due them! He
is reconciled to God forever! One of the sweetest promises Jesus
ever made is, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed.” (John 8:36).
3. God Reconciles, Not Men. We can in no way reconcile ourselves to God and become acceptable to Him! Because God is the one who reaches out to man and reconciles man to Himself! 1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love him, because he first loved us.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”
B. GOD SAVES MAN BY CHRIST’S LIFE (vlOb). Life there means "living".
The life of a "living LORD". Christ stands before God as our intercessor
and mediator. We are covered by Christ's blood and "accepted in the
beloved." Romans 8:33-34 asks, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge
of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” And Hebrews 7:25
promises, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them.”
ILLUS: IN CHRIST WE HAVE
A love that can never be fathomed
A life that can never die
A righteousness that can never be tarnished
A peace that can never be understood
A rest that can never be disturbed
A joy that can never be diminished
A hope that can never be disappointed
A glory that can never be clouded
A light that can never be darkened
A purity that can never be defiled
A beauty that can never be marred
A wisdom that can never be baffled
Resources that can never be exhausted.
--Author Unknown
(The Timothy Report, , January 3, 2005)
C. GOD GIVES US JOY THROUGH OUR RECONCILIATION THROUGH
CHRIST (v11). Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels.” John wrote in 1 John 1:1-4—“ That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was
with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen
and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
Friends, being reconciled to God brings JOY! Being saved by the grace
of God brings rejoicing! In our age, as in every age, people are longing
for happiness, not realizing that what they are looking for is holiness.
-- Jerry L. Walls in Good News (May/June 1995). Christianity Today,
Vol. 39, no. 8. I love what Billy Sunday once said, “The trouble with
many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them
miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your
religion. - Billy Sunday SERMON, NEW YORK 1914 Psalm 5:11
declares, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them
ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love
thy name be joyful in thee.” As Barney E. Warren wrote:
I have found His grace is all complete,
He supplieth ev’ry need;
While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,
I am free, yes, free indeed.
Refrain
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory,
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Oh, the half has never yet been told.
I have found the pleasure I once craved,
It is joy and peace within;
What a wondrous blessing! I am saved
From the awful gulf of sin.
Refrain
I have found that hope so bright and clear,
Living in the realm of grace;
Oh, the Savior’s presence is so near,
I can see His smiling face.
Refrain
I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll!
It is like a great o’erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul.
Refrain
CLOSING: Friend, May I ask you, “have you experienced that kind of love?” A
love that was willing to die for those who were without strength and
ungodly? A love that was proven in that the sinless Son of God
died for wicked sinners? A love that willing bore our sins and
transgressions that we who were enemies might be reconciled unto
God? If not, you have never experienced JOY-TRUE JOY that
comes in the knowledge that God loves you with an "Unbelievable
Love" and wants you to be saved and live in the light of His shining
face!
If you are saved today then naturally the question is, "If God loves
us that much to allow His Son to experience what He did for us,
How much do we love Him? Jesus said in John 14:15—“If
you love me, keep my commandments." Are we doing that? We
cannot say we truly love Him if we will not obey Him!
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