Well, once again, we are in the
book of Romans, chapter 5. In the preceding verses that
we read in the last few weeks, the apostle writes about the
believer's hope of the glory in God. That's in Romans chapter
5, verse 2. Read that with me if you would.
By whom also we have access by faith. Now remember, it says
by whom. By whom. This Lord Jesus that it speaks
of in verse 1. through our Lord Jesus, by whom
we have access through him, by him, by faith into this grace,
wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Paul is bringing that fact out,
that those who have the good hope in Christ will never be
ashamed of that relationship, nor will they ever have cause
to be ashamed of it, nor will they be put to shame by it. the
truth of God's love to us in Christ, and the reality of that
love has been put in our hearts by His Spirit. His Spirit is
a witness in us of who Christ is. We can never be ashamed of
it. Now, in the next verses, he proceeds
to give us proof and evidence of that hope that he speaks of
in verses one and two. We read in verse six through
11, 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 preadventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 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, the payment. Now, this is what I want us to
consider this morning. This is the sum and the substance
of our gospel. This one who died. Christ died
for the ungodly, it says back in verse 5 and 6. Christ, He's
the one who died. He's the only begotten, the well-beloved
Son of God in human nature. Look over at chapter 8 of Romans,
verse 34. Romans chapter 8, verse 34. He
died for us. God sent his son in the nature
of man to sacrifice himself on the cross. Look over at verses
34 of Romans chapter 8. Who is he that can condemneth?
Who is it, the one who can charge God's elect? That's what it's
talking about in verse 33. 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. That's who died. Christ died
for the ungodly. God in the flesh came and died
for his people. How did he die? He died the death
of shame. It was shameful to hang on a
cross. Cursed is everyone that hangs
on a cross, hangs on a tree. He died a death of shame under
the wrath and the judgment of God. Do we understand the depth
that was laid upon Our Lord and Savior? Well, I don't think we
can truly understand the depth of it, but we get a pretty good
picture, don't we? We get a pretty good picture of our Lord who
was cursed hanging on the tree as He took our iniquities as
His own and suffered the wrath of God for us. He died the death
of shame under the wrath of judgment in God. Listen to the words of
Philippians chapter 2 verse 8. And being found in a fashion
as a man. That's this one who died. He
was found in the fashion of man. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross. Why did he die? He died for and
in the stead of, and as a substitute for all of his elect. All of
those who were chosen from before the world was created. All of
those who were predestined, predestinated to be conformed to the image
of God's Son, Jesus Christ. We were predestinated. Oh, the
world hates to hear that. I love it. I love it, because
I know I know that if God left me to myself, I'd still be out
there chasing around doing all the stuff I did 23 years ago,
which was definitely not coming to church and worshiping God
Almighty. I love predestination. I love election. He died as the
substitute for all of His elect in order that God might be the
just and the justifier. Look back at chapter 3 of Romans.
Let's read that again, will you? Chapter 3. Verses 24 through 26, chapter
3 of Romans, verse 24, are being justified freely by His grace. That's it. That's us being justified
freely. In other words, no cost to you
and I. Aren't you thankful there was no cost to you and I? I got
nothing to pay. Do you? Oh, folks, if you think
you do, throw it out. Get rid of it now. God's grace
is free. It's free grace in His Son, the
Lord Jesus, justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. That's what I just said. Whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness, that He might be that he might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Who did he die for? Why did he
die? To be our substitute. To be the just and the justifier
of his people. For whom did he die? For the
ungodly, it says, back in our text. The ungodly. For when we
were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the
ungodly. Not for a righteous man, or for
a religious man, or a deserving man, but for those who are ungodly
in nature and in practice. Look over at Ephesians chapter
2. Let's see if this description fits you, because this is what
God tells us each and every one of us are. Ephesians chapter
2, verses 1 through 5. And you have to be quick, and
it says, Ephesians chapter 2, beginning of verse 1, and you
hath he quickened who were dead. Dead, and who did he die for?
He died for the ungodly, those who were dead in trespasses and
sin, wherein times past ye walked according to the course of this
world. I see that as truth, because
I know that's the way I walked, as the course of this world.
according to the prince of the power of air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were
by nature the children of wrath, even as others. He died for the
ungodly, folks, those who are ungodly by nature, by practice. Well, when did he die for us?
When were we without strength to obey Him to keep His law?
And without the ability to keep ourselves? We were in bondage
to the law of sin. We were in bondage to sin and
unable to change our conditions. Listen to Jeremiah 13, 23. Can
the Ethiopian change his skin? Can you change your nature? Or
a leopard his spots? I love the analogy that I've
heard from a couple of different ministers, our pastor Gene being
one of them. Think about this for just a moment.
If you take a lion, or let's start with a deer. If you take
a deer and you put a piece of red meat in the cage of a deer,
they'll cower back from it. It's not their nature to eat
meat. And it's the same thing with a lion. You put hay in the
cage of a lion, all they're going to do is fluff it up and lay
on it. It's not their nature to eat it. Their nature is to
eat red meat. We cannot change the nature we came into this
world for. It must be changed for us. We
must be born again. We must have that old, black,
stony heart that we're all born with cut out. I once said that
we must have it changed. No. God doesn't take an old heart
and put new wine in it. He cuts that old heart out. He
gets rid of it and He gives us a new heart, a new heart that
desires Him. When did He die? He died when
we were without strength. He died for us in due time, as
it says. At the time appointed by God
the Father. Look over at Galatians. Galatians
chapter 4, beginning in verse 2. But is under, let's begin
at verse one, but I say that the heir, as long as he is a
child, differeth not from a servant, though he be Lord of all, but
is under, this heir, heirs of Christ, heirs of God, and we
are joint heirs with Christ, in Christ, but is under tutors
and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even
so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements
of the world. When were we saved? We were saved
in due time. When it was God's determined
time, when it was the appointed time of the Father, we were in
bondage under the elements of the world. Verse four, but when
the fullness of 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. And because
ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father." In 1 Timothy 2, verses 5 through
6, we read this, for there is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for
all to be testified in due time. This is the greatest single proof
of love that God could give to his people, is to give one's
life for the object of that love. In 1 John chapter 10, let me
turn over there and read that for you real quick, 1 John chapter
4, in verse 10 we read this, here is love, not that we love
God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Over in John, the book of John,
chapter 15, we read these words. Verses 12 and 13, we read, this
is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. What love
we have. What wonderful love we see of
our God in sending us everything we need. Providing for us everything
that we cannot earn, that we cannot do upon ourselves because
we're weak. We're without strength. He died
in due time. In Romans 5, verse 7, we read,
These words, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die,
yet preadventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
There's two men mentioned here, isn't there? For scarcely for a righteous
man, there's one, yet preadventure for a good man, there's another.
Well, what does it mean, a righteous man? Well, in scriptures, doesn't
our Lord say he came to save sinners? Doesn't it say that
righteous need no physician? I came to save sinners. A righteous
or a just man is one who is moral, strict, and religious before
the men in all his ways, yet he's not necessarily loved of
God, is he? Is it not likely that one would
die for such a man? Why would God come for one who
didn't need one, need him? That's what it says as far as
God being the physician. Why would He come if a man does
not need his physician? Yet here, the second man is talking
about a good man, one who is gracious, kind, and considerate,
considerate to all. Among men, He is beloved and
respected, and some would certainly die for such a man, would He
not? Back in our text in verse 8,
we see we read this, but God commendeth His love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God manifested
His love for us. He gave clear proof and the evidence
of that love so that there is no room to doubt. There's no
room to doubt in that while we were yet in sin, Christ died
for us. This is true in respect to all
that are saved from Abel all the way to Paul and to you and
I this very day. When Christ loved us and died
for us and redeemed us, we were sinners by birth, by choice,
by practice, with no love for God at all. Isn't that what we
read over in Romans chapter 8 again, verses 7 and 8? Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God, that's the mind of us before God has
regenerated us, the carnal mind, the mind of flesh, because it
is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither did it can be, so then they that are in the flesh,
that's how we come into this world, in the flesh, Dead in
spirit, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Christ died for us, even when
we were yet sinners, by birth, by choice, and by practice. Verse
9, we go on to read there, much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him. If
God's love to us is so great and so rich that He gave His
only begotten Son for us, to die for us when we were still
ungodly, when we were still sinners, how much more, how much more
certain and sure and being righteous and justified and free from sin
are we in our Savior. We shall be delivered from God's,
from God's future wrath and his punishment. Again, over in Romans
8, chapter 8, we read in verse 31 through 34, I love Romans 8. But we read
these words in Romans 8, verse 31. What shall we say then to
these things? If God be for us. Now here's
the surety. Here's the surety that God's
people have when we know that everything was laid upon our
Savior. That all that needs to be fulfilled
is fulfilled by Him. We have this surety. You see,
there's nothing left. When we put all of our faith
in Him, when He gives us and grants us the faith to believe
Him as our provider in all things, we have a surety. We have a surety
because nothing depends on us. And we know how fallible we can
be, don't we? That's our trust. That's our
surety is that it's all in Him. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? How often
have I read those very words that said, not even John can
get in the way of John's salvation. I can't take anything away from
it, but I can't add anything to it either. It's all been done. Our Lord hung on that cross.
He said, it is finished. Verse 32 in Romans chapter 80
says, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things? Who is he that condemns? Verse 33, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Aren't you thankful? I know how quickly John can go
out those doors and all of a sudden his fleshly mind will just think
of something and say, oh, Lord, why did I even think about that? I let my pride can swell up for
just a second. Yet my Lord Jesus Christ didn't
just put away all my sins that I have committed, he put away
all my sins that I will commit. He's given me a son, why would
he not give me all things? Why would he not give you all
things if his son was given for you? God, he sits at the right
hand of God, and he makes intercession for us. Back in our text, verse
10, we read these words, 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. If while we were yet enemies
to God, we were reconciled to him by through the death of his
son, isn't it much more certain that God being reconciled to
us and us to God, that we shall be daily kept in Him. Isn't that what it says in Peter
1, verse 5? We are kept by the power of God
into salvation. Isn't it safe to say that we
will be kept by God daily, delivered and sustained by His resurrection,
by His intercessory for our lives? If we could comprehend what God
has done for us while we were yet enemies, try comprehending
the blessings that are ours as his friends and sons. These are
joint heirs with Christ. Again, look over at Romans chapter
8. This time, look with me, if you would, at verses 16 and 17.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit. Encourages us and reminds us
that our faith is a gift of God and our faith is in God. Not
in the flesh, but in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. That we
are the children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may also be glorified together. Back in our text one
more time, if you would, verse 11. Paul says these words, he says,
not only so. Not only so, just that stuff,
those things that we just covered in those other verses, not only
so, that is, not only do we rejoice in hope, and the glory of God,
as we read in Romans chapter 5, verse 2. Not only do we glory
in tribulations, as we read in verse 3. Not only did Christ
die for us while we were yet sinners, as we read in verse
8. Not only are we saved by the wrath to come through Him, as
we read in verse 9. Not only are we reconciled to
God by His Son, as we just read in verse 10, but we joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11, and not only so, but
we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement. We rejoice in God himself as
our covenant God. That's what it is to declare
before those around us, but not just to declare with the mouth,
with the lips, but to declare with our heart. You see, faith
is a heart matter. And we're going to talk a little
bit more about this in the next service. about faith. It's a heart matter. It's believing
God. It's believing all of God's Word,
who we are, and who His Son is, and what He's done, and where
He is now. We take a great joy that our
God is a covenant God. He's the God of all grace. He's
the God of all peace. He's the God of all salvation,
and we rejoice in His perfections. We rejoice in His providence. We rejoice in His presence. This
means, the means by which we come to His joy and the glory
is through our Lord Jesus. Turn over one more if you would
to Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2. Right after
Ephesians and Philippians. We rejoice in our Savior. In
glory. and bringing glory to His name
through our Savior. Look at verses 9 and 10 of this. For in Him, in God, in the Lord
Jesus Christ, in Him all the fullness of the Godhead, in Him
dwelleth, all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are
complete in Him, which is the head and the principality of
all power. You see the glory that we give our Lord? You see
the joy that we take in glorifying His name? It is by, it is in,
and it is through Jesus Christ that we have received the atonement,
or the reconciliation is what it's saying. Full redemption,
full satisfaction, full all that we need is made by His blood
for sinners who receive Him by faith. And that faith we receive
Him by is a gift of Himself. Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.