Let's turn to Romans chapter
5. Romans chapter 5. Paul begins now in verse 6. He's going to be speaking about
the hope that we have of God. And the reason why we have hope
is because the Lord is testifying of his love to us in our hearts. He's manifesting his love and
grace for us. And he's showing us that we are
the redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he teaches us of
Christ here. And we see this in who died. We see how he died, we see why
he died, and for whom he died, and then what that means for
those for whom Christ died. So let's answer these questions
of who, how, why, and for whom, and what it means. So let's read
in verse 6, Romans 5, 6. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died. Christ died for the ungodly. So, in answering this first question
of who died, the whole of our faith rests upon the answer to
this question. Who died? It's central to the
hope that we have of our salvation. It's Jesus Christ, the Son of
God who laid down His life. He died. He is the only begotten
of the Father. He, the Son of God, came in human
flesh and He died for the sins of His people and the importance
of that. The reason why that's so So amazing
is that the eternal Son of God took on Him the likeness of this
flesh, like you and me, yet without sin, so that His death accomplished
eternal things. He died for us, doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves, accomplishing eternal things. John 3.16 declares that God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And so, this Jesus of Nazareth
is not just another man, He is a perfect man. And He came in
this flesh. He was God manifest in the flesh
so that what He did has eternal implications. It has eternal
effects that bless His people, that affect His people, that
are good for His people. He's not just like you and me.
He's the holy, spotless, unblemished, righteous Lamb of God sent to
take away the sin of His people scattered throughout the world.
Next, how did he die? We now know it's Christ we're
talking about. That's who died. But how did
he die? Well, when we read the scriptures,
it speaks of him being crucified on a cross, which is a shameful
death. It's the death of criminals.
That's those that were put that were hung on a tree. and crucified,
as the Romans did, it was done for criminals. They didn't just
do that for people. It was done for criminals. It
was a painful, shameful death that our Lord died upon the tree. And we're told in Philippians
2.8 that He being found in fashion as a man, because again, this
is the eternal Son of God, And he was found. He came and was
manifest in the flesh just like a man, like you and me. He being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. He took the
lowest place. He came and served for his bride. He took the lowest place for
His people. He humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death. He did the Father's will for
which the Father sent Him. He became obedient unto death,
even the death. of the cross. And so this was
all according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. God purposed this for his son. That's why he sent his son into
the world. And then we ask, why? Why did
Christ die? Well, the scriptures teach that
Christ died in the room instead of his people. In other words,
he took the place of his people who deserved that wrath and punishment
of God. He took our place on the cross,
bearing the wrath of God, which was against us, which was our
due for our sins. and he paid the debt. He settled
the debt that we owe to God and delivered us from the hand of
justice by taking our place. And he did that on the cross.
That's why he died. He was not there for his own
sins. He was not there because he's
a sinner. He's perfect, righteous, holy, and spotless, perfectly
obedient unto the Father in all things. But he did it to pay
the price that his people owed, to satisfy God's holy justice. And so God is just to forgive
the sins of His people because they're paid, they're settled,
they're put away forever by the eternal Son of God who died in
the place of His people as their sacrifice, as the Lamb of God. Colossians 114 speaks of Him
saying, in whom we have redemption, we have been purchased, we are
redeemed from that eternal death, we're now His, we're His possession,
we have been redeemed, we have redemption through His blood,
even the forgiveness of sins. Now this leads us to ask, I was
quoting Colossians 114 and says, in whom we? Who is this we? Who are the we that Christ has
redeemed? For whom did Christ die? Well, who are these for whom
the eternal Son of God came in the flesh, was manifest in the
flesh, suffered in the flesh as He declared the truth, and
did the works of the Father sent Him to do, and spoke the words
the Father sent Him to speak, and went to the cross? For whom
did He do this? Who is it that is so blessed
that the Son of God would take this low place and serve for
them? Lay down his life for them. Paul
answers this in our text in Romans 5 verse 7 and 8. Romans 5 verse
7 and 8. He begins verse 7. For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die. yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die." And it seems that when he speaks
of a righteous man, he's saying that one who, for all intents
and purposes, appears to be righteous in his works. And he says there's
some people that would give their life for such a man. such a man
who's holy and then he speaks of a good man and and the sense
there is that this is a man who's who's warm and empathetic and
caring and gives to others and helps others and he says there's
some that might lay down their life for such a person But what
he tells us that Christ did is, God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We weren't righteous. We weren't
good. We weren't doing anything to
please God. We were rebels, enemies against
God. We are sinners by nature, and
that's how we were actively sinning against God, with our fists up
against God, resisting God, not wanting to hear the truth of
God, wanting to do things on our terms, wanting God to come
to us according to how we wanted it, our way, or the highway,
you know, do what I want. That's how we are by nature.
And we expect God to conform to us and to do for us what we
need. But instead, he didn't meet us
on, well, he came to us as sinners. And while we were yet sinners,
Christ laid down his life and died for his people. He accomplished
this work, not for the righteous, not for the good, but for vile,
wretched sinners doing wicked works. doing wicked works. You mean for the idolater? Yes.
You mean for the adulterer? Yes. You mean for the whoremonger?
Yes. You mean for the one who labors
under the law thinking it's their righteousness? Yes. You mean
for the thief? Yes. For the murderer? Yes. That's who Christ came to save,
the wicked, those that were wicked in their works. for sinners and
enemies against the true and living God. We weren't righteous,
we weren't good, but all for whom Christ died and gave his
life, they are sinners. They are sinners. They're sinners. Verse six, he calls them the
ungodly. We didn't know the true and living
God. We were in darkness. We were in death. We were in
bondage and shut up against the truth. and so Christ came and
died for sinners. Luke 15 verses 1 and 2 says it
this way, Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners
for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes
murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. Not only is he allowing sinners
to come up and talk to him and touch him, but he breaks bread
with them. He sits down at the table and
breaks bread with sinners. Vile people, people that you
can clearly say there's something wrong with them. They're not
perfect in all their ways. They're not righteous in all
their ways. And he's breaking bread with them. And who was
it that was complaining about this? It was the Pharisees and
the scribes. It was those people that are
righteous and good in the estimation of men. They look pretty on the
outside. They look clean on the outside.
They look white and washed on the outside. But Christ spoke
of them saying, they're full of dead men's bones. They're a whitewashed sepulcher. They're a grave. So it looks
nice on the outside, but underneath, it's dead men's bones. It's death. It's pollution. It's corruption.
It's vile. It's wicked works. It's the stink
of death coming out of their mouth. They looked at this and
were disgusted that Christ would receive sinners, known sinners,
coming to him. And the picture there is that
they, the Pharisee and the scribe, thinks they've arrived, that
they're righteous and accepted before God. And it's sort of
like the picture of the tortoise and the hare, right? The turtle
and the rabbit. And the rabbit is like the Pharisee
and the scribe. They're making all this progress,
they think, and they're so close to God and all their works and
what they've done, but who goes by them and enters into heaven?
The turtle, the one who's a sinner. They're the ones who are drawn
to Christ, that he would speak to me. one lowly like me, one
who's filthy like me, one who's done wicked works all his life
that God should receive me, who have nothing to give to him,
who have nothing to come to God with in my works. And so the
Pharisees and the scribes, they don't enter into heaven, but
the people going right on by them entering into the kingdom
of heaven is the sinner who's drawn to Christ. who loves Christ,
who hears Christ and wants to hear Christ and rejoices in his
righteousness and in his goodness. That's our boast, not what I've
done for God, but what God has done for me. And we're made thankful
for that. We're made thankful for that.
And so there are some that are angry that Christ receives sinners
and they hate this word. And such are in the same company
with the scribes and the Pharisees. That's their company. And they'll
have their fill of that company in hell apart from Christ, unless
God gives them repentance from that. To see that they're sinners,
and they need the forgiveness of God in Christ. That's our
salvation, is Christ. So who here is a sinner? Are you a sinner? or do you have
righteousness of your own? Are your works good or are your
works corrupt? Are you a sinner? Do you need
salvation or do you already have it by what you've done? The Scriptures
say that all are sinners and all come short of the glory of
God. Every one of us needs the salvation of God. And God doesn't
receive our works. God's not impressed by our works.
God doesn't sit with us and break bread with us because our works
are good. He sits with us and breaks bread
with us because of Christ's works. His works are good. And you,
that hope in Christ, you're received of the Father. You're brought
in by the Father through Jesus Christ. He's our righteousness.
The reason why we ask that question is because until a man or a woman
is a sinner, they have no need of Christ. They have no interest
in Christ. They have no hope of Christ. They have nothing of Christ and
no relation to Christ until they are a sinner because they're
not trusting in Christ while they're doing good works, what
they think are good works and what they think pleases God. No, they're continuing in their
death and in their darkness. So they have no interest in Christ. And there goes the sinner again,
walking right on by them, going to Christ and being received
of Him. Because you that have no righteousness of your own,
but see that God has provided everything you need in the Son,
you go to him, and you are received of him, and you have fellowship
with him, because Christ receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And sinners find rest for their
souls in Christ, in Christ Jesus. Anyone who thinks that they are
righteous before God because of their works, they are an idolater. They're the ones not hearing.
They're the ones that are that are proud and puffed up and arrogant
and trusting themselves and not hearing what God has said concerning
His Son and the need we have of Jesus Christ, the Son. The
scriptures describe the Pharisee and the scribe as those who profess
themselves to be wise, but they became fools in it. They became
fools in their wisdom, and they know not the true and living
God. And that's the nature that we all have by birth in Adam. And that nature in Adam will
never know God. We need a new nature. We need
spiritual life. Because we don't have that by
nature in Adam. And you see it. Once a man gets
religion by his works, and he's looking at what he's doing and
examining the ledger, and he starts thinking, I'm doing pretty
good. And he starts getting puffed
up and confident. Whatever hope he thought he had in Christ goes
away because he starts despising Christ and despising the simplicity
of Christ. And he thinks he's something
when he's nothing. Now our Lord gives a parable
to address these two men in Luke chapter 18. Luke 18. And I think it's a very appropriate
chapter here, a parable here for this very truth. that Christ
receives sinners and the Pharisees and the scribes and the work
mongers miss Him. They don't have fellowship with
Him. But in Luke 18 verse 9 Christ spake this parable unto certain
which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised
others. So He says two men went up into
the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other
a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not, as other
men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. So this man was so proud and
confident in his works that he boasted to God to make sure that
God knew and did a proper accounting of all that he had done for God. And he didn't see himself as
a sinner. He saw himself as righteous,
as one who could come to God, because he went all the way into
the temple and got as near to God as he possibly could, without
any worry or concern that God would see any sin in him. And
so this, Christ tells us, led him to despise others. He despised those who could not
achieve his level of righteousness. And he blocked everyone else
out. He shut them out, because he's holier than thou. Don't
come near to me, lest you stain me and spot me with your sin.
Don't come too close to me. I'm holier than thou. That was
his attitude, and that's how he saw himself. Now what about
the other man? Verse 13. And the publican, that's
the sinner, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God,
be merciful to me, a sinner." This sinner needed a mediator
between him and God. And there was plenty of room
for that mediator because he stood afar off. He was ashamed
to draw near to God. He didn't want to come in and
come to the front row. He didn't want to come near to
the altar of God in the temple. He didn't want to be close because
he feared that God would destroy him. He was a sinner. And so
he gave plenty of room for the mediator to come between him
and the true and living God. And this publican couldn't lift
up look up to heaven. He didn't come with boldness.
He was ashamed and it says that he smote upon his breast. He didn't beat others and tell
them how to live their life properly, tell them what they should be
doing better and what they should stop doing. He beat upon the
problem, his own heart, his own breast, the fountain of sin in
himself. That's who he beat upon was his
own heart full of sin and blackness, crying, God be merciful to me. And it says a sinner, but that
word is the sinner. And I looked it up again. I went
and looked at the original there and it is the sinner. The sinner. And I believe that
that's important that he's saying, I'm the sinner. He's saying,
out of everyone here, I don't know about them, but I know that
I'm the sinner that needs mercy from you, Lord. I need your mercy
and grace, Lord. I can't speak for them, but I
know what I am. I have blackness in my heart. I have sin in my
heart. I'm sinful from head to toe. There's nothing good in
me. Every time I would do good, I
see evil with me. And so he's confessing, I'm the
sinner who needs your mercy. And he says, God, be merciful
to me, the sinner. God, please find a propitiation
for my sins. Please find that which covers
my sin that you may be merciful to me and forgive me of my sin. So there's a difference there,
right? He's because some people read it as that a sinner God
be merciful to me a sinner as though he's saying You know Lord,
we're all sinners around here. We you know, we all have problems
No, he's saying I'm the sinner. I have a problem and I need your
salvation. I need your mercy and Christ
said in verse 14 of that that parable Luke 18 14 I tell you
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other
for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted. And so the Lord is going to have
direct dealings with you. If you are His child, one for
whom Christ redeemed with His own blood, He's going to have
dealings with you and praise be His name. You that He causes
to seek Him, you that He causes to humble yourselves and to come
to Him as the sinner, He's going to be gracious to you because
He looks to the propitiation for our sins. He looks to the
Savior who gave his life for the sins of his people and he
received his people in the blood of Christ, in the blood of Jesus
Christ. But the natural man, left to
himself, will not come to Jesus until he knows he's a sinner
and knows he needs mercy, but it's the sinner that Christ came
to save. That's who he came for. And so to sinners, What does
this mean? To sinners redeemed by the blood
of Christ, he sends out the gospel to declare this good news, to
publish this good news, to declare what Christ has accomplished,
what he's done. And he's not putting a decision
upon you in the sense that you have power and you can make this
effectual. He declares what's been done
and he draws forth that blessed life from his people. To know
He's speaking to me. I'm the sinner. And I need that
blood. And He causes us to know our
need and to look to Christ, to believe Him, and to live in and
by the Lord Jesus Christ. So we hear what Christ has done,
how that he suffered for our sins, how that he died for the
sins of his people, how that he was buried, and that God raised
him from the dead the third day, never to die anymore, and that
he is now ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, and
he calls the sinner, believe in him. Believe on him you that
are sinners Believe him trust him call upon him for all that
call upon the name of Jesus Christ shall be Saved and you will not
be ashamed for trusting in him and putting everything, resting
everything upon Him and coming to God in His blood. You shall
not be ashamed. Paul said to his hearers, Acts
13, 38, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren,
that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things. There is no sin too great that
Christ's blood cannot cover and save you from. Nothing, nothing. His blood is sufficient to save
unto the uttermost. And though you labored under
Moses long and find no relief, his blood provides all the relief
you need. Praise God you didn't find any
relief under Moses' law because that's not salvation, the blood
of Christ. He is salvation. He is salvation. And so Paul assures us that not
only are our sins covered, but it means that there's no wrath
of God that awaits us. When you die, there's no wrath
of God that shall touch you. you are safe under the blood
of Christ. Romans 5, 9, much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Now God's
wrath is coming for those whose works are according to the flesh. They may look righteous, they
may look like very religious people and good works, but all
whose hope is in those works, even Christ plus their works,
Those who hope in their works, they are under the wrath of God
even now. But you that have no hope in
your works, but have all your hope in Christ, there is no wrath
for you. All that wrath is dried up. Christ
drank every drop of it when he took the cup from the Father's
hand and drank it down to the dregs for his people. All the
bits and nasty parts and bitter parts, he drank it all for his
people. And so, brethren, we are holy
and righteous in Christ, and all who hope in him are under
the blood, and we may gladly wait for his return, not as ashamed,
not as fearful and wondering if we've done enough. You whose
hope is Christ, we look for his return. We pray, Maranatha, come
Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus, and because
we know it's not by what I've done but what he's done and accomplished
for his people. Paul wrote the same thing to
the Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 1 10 and that
we are to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the
dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. This
body will be laid down in the dust, and when we rise, we shall
not know sin anymore, but we shall know him even as we are
known, for we shall see him as he is." It's hard, impossible
to see it now, to believe it now, to understand it now, but
we know by faith. It is so because his word tells
us it tells us so faith in Christ You that believe is the witness
of his Holy Spirit that you have been regenerated By his grace
that you stand complete and accepted of God in Christ walk by faith
Walk by faith trusting him go in gladness and enjoy believing
him And once you are a sinner, brethren, and Christ has blessed
you with the Gospel and given you faith to believe Him, stay
right there. Rest in Him. Don't be moved from
Him. And I close with Romans 5.10,
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. Rejoice in Him. Amen.