Romans 5, we're going to look
at the first 11 verses and then one phrase that caught my attention. Romans 5, verses 1-11, Paul writing
to the believers in Rome said, Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also We have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not
only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation
works patience. And patience, experience, and
experience, hope, and hope makes not ashamed because the love
of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which
is given unto us. 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. But God commendeth his love towards
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 the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement, now received reconciliation. In verse 5, Paul, having declared
God's amazing love, because the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us, having
declared God's amazing love to undeserving sinners, now Paul
proceeds to show how how our Lord manifested this sovereign,
distinguishing love for His church. Verse 6, for when we were yet
without strength, no ability to save ourselves, no ability
to come to Christ, no ability to seek God, just there in a
sinful stupor, if you will, caring less about God, caring more for
ourselves and the things of the world, we were without strength. When we were yet without strength. A man can talk about free will
all he wants to, but the only will that will succeed is God's
will. God's will. And it is according
to God's will and purpose in electing love that some sinners
would find Christ, would find redemption in the blood of the
everlasting Son. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. I want
to draw our attention to a particular phrase found in verse 6, in due
time. Christ died for the ungodly in
due time. Before I go any further, he said
Christ died for the ungodly. I ask myself this question and
I ask you this question. Is this referring to you and
to me? Ungodly. Is this referring to
you and to me? When it says ungodly. Do we know
of a certainty and feel this to be us? I pray it would be
so. For of such, it is plainly stated
in the Word of God, Christ died for them." I'll never forget
the first time, back in the 80's, we had Henry Mahan, in the early
80's, at the park. And he said, he was preaching,
he stopped, he said, is there any ungodly here? Anybody ungodly here? Apparently,
he had done this before, in another meeting, some other place, a
man rose his hand, he says, I can say Christ died for you. Raise
your hand. That person knew he was ungodly. It is plainly stated, for when
we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. In Job chapter 40, in verse 4,
well after the trials and the situations that Job was going
through, stating as a believer, he said, Behold, I am vile. Behold, I am vile. As a believer. As a believer. That's our brother,
Job. Can we say the same thing? In due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. But let's go back to where I
want to look at in due time. As we are and when we are without
strength, in due time, we look to Christ who in due time did
all we could never do. Satisfy God's law, usher in a
perfect righteousness, take our sins, debt, and pay them in full,
and set us free. This is what he did. Yes, in
due time, Christ came and lived a pure, perfect life. Yes, in
due time, he undertook our cause for his own dear sheep. Yes,
in due time, he suffered, bled, and hung on Calvary's tree. And
yes, in due time, he rose again and led captivity captive. But
more than this, concerning ourselves here this morning, in due time,
He looked upon us from before the foundation of the world and
was the Lamb slain. In due time, when we were without
strength, when we were enemies, says verse 10, when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. In due
time, were brought nigh unto God by the sacrifice of Christ
himself. In due time, when it pleased
God to separate us from our mother's womb and call us by his unerring
grace, says Galatians, says Paul in Galatians chapter one, and
in due time, Christ would see to it that he would keep us from
falling and present us faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy, says Jude. in due time. So this sentence,
this phrase found in chapter 5 in verse 6, in due time, seems
to be a pivotal point here. The amplified version says at
the fitting or fitted time. Sounds like it's something that's
been done for us. In the fitting time. In the margin,
if you have a marginal reading, It reads, according to the time,
just the time. Whose time? When we decided to
walk an aisle, when we decided it's time that our children do
something to show that they're supposed to believe, is it the
time of our baptism? Is it the time of our after-baptism?
Is it the time of our church membership? No, it's God's time. In due time. Christ did something. This is God's time. Now, time is so important. When we were back there, I don't
know if Bruce said anything in Bible class, I was trying to
listen, but Nathan made the remark about time and Bruce used the
word time once, Nathan used it two or three times. Time is really
important to us, right? Think about it. Those of us who
are getting older, we can't control it. I started at 20 till and it's
10 till. Can't stop it. I could pull the
batteries out, but there's a running clock, biological clock. Can't stop it. Time, we cherish
it. We often abuse it. We say time
is money. Seems like we're always chasing
it. We're always looking at it as it passes by. We are to redeem
it. One time will be our last time.
It'll be the last time I preach. We often say our time is up.
It's given unto man once to die. A lot of the Old Testament saints
said, I go the way of all the earth. God controls all time. He can
stop it. and have the sun go backwards,
He could do it twice. When Christ hung on the cross,
He could black out everything. God-controlled time. I believe
that I can say this with the authority of God's Word, the
only time that is truly supremely important is God's time. And I know you kids have a lot
of things you want to do. You don't know if you have tomorrow.
And the same with adults. We project. We're doing this
already. Christmas time is coming. Okay,
I got to do this. I got to do that. You know what? You may
fall and break something on the way out the door. You may get
hit. Time is out of our hands. So
that's why we're here. That's why we bring our kids. time, in the due time, in God's
time. And according to the Scriptures,
God's time has to do, and this makes sense because the whole
Scripture is about Christ, God's time has to do with the redemptive
accomplishments of Christ Jesus as He reconciles us to His Heavenly
Father. Let's look at some text, Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Let's look
at 1-12, we'll look at one verse, but let me read all these verses
so we kind of get the import. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, to the
faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be unto you, peace from God our
Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places, according as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy without blame before him in love. having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted unto beloved. in
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath
abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made note
unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure,
which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensations of
the fullness of times he might gather together into one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven in which on earth,
even in himself, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will." Verse 10, in
the dispensation of the fullness of time, in the dispensations
of the fullness of times, in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance. It's all about the redemptive
glory of Jesus Christ. He glorifies God's Father, glorifies
God's will, glorifies God's purpose in the fullness of times. Mark
chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. Verses 14 and 15. Mark chapter 1 verses 14 and
15. Now after that, John was put
in prison. Jesus came into Galilee preaching
the gospel, the kingdom of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled
and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the
gospel. The time is at hand. Jesus came
preaching preaching what the gospel? That's what we do and
we gather together That's what we that's who we talk about is
Christ because in Christ is life and he's preaching the gospel
and What's that? What's the result of that we
believe and repent? The redemptive accomplishments
of Christ the substitutionary work you can't preach the gospel
without preaching substitution You can't preach repentance.
What is repentance? It's repent from your sins. God
doesn't need to repent. We need to repent. That's part
of the gospel. Repent, for we are sinners. We
are without strength. In due time. The time has come. The time has come when he was
preaching. The time has come when Abraham
heard the gospel. In due time. Hebrews chapter
9. Hebrews 9, verse 24, 25, and
26. Hebrews 9, for Christ is not
entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear
in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every
year with the blood of others, For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the
world..." That's a time. "...the end of the world hath
he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." That's
the truth of the Gospel. In the end of the world, that's
specifically speaking about a time, in due time. 1 Peter chapter
1. 1 Peter chapter 1, 18, verses 18,
19, and 20. 1 Peter chapter 1. Verse 18 and verse Peter 1. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed, he's talking about redemption, with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversations received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ spilt, shed, let as a lamb without blemish and without spot,
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you." Last times for
you. He's speaking of the Gospel.
Christ came in due time. In due time. I love this one. Ezekiel chapter 16. And there's a whole bunch of
these. This is all we're going to look at. Ezekiel 16, verses 6, 7, and
8. This is speaking about the type
of the redemptive glory of Christ through God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Spirit. And when I passed by, says God,
when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted without strength
in our own blood, we're guilty, we're responsible, I am vile. I said unto thee,
when thou wast in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee,
when thou wast in thy blood, live. I have caused thee, not
us, but God, through the grace of God, through the grace of
Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, caused thee to multiply
as the bud of the field. Thou hast increased and waxen
great. Thou art come to excellent ornaments. Thy breasts are fashioned
and thy hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now
when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time,
thy time, thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt
over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine." In due time, God's time. whose time, God's time, Jehovah's
time, Christ and the Holy Spirit of Grace and it's always the
right time. We don't know when somebody is
going to be called and quickened and redeemed by the Word of Christ,
by the blood of Christ, by the water and the blood as we heard
this morning in 1 John. We don't know, but it's our responsibility
to keep telling, to keep talking, to keep speaking. When? Well, we know it's before time
was written or conceptualized, before the world's work, and
in the fullness of time. The act of redemption was accomplished
before the world began, and then we experience it personally,
ourself, in time, like Paul said. that Bruce read this morning,
in the fullness of time, God, He called me by His grace and
separated me from my mother's womb. That was a time. That was a time. Now when I looked up all the
cross-references that I could find, there's a tool, it's called
the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. It's just a book of Bible cross-references
to every verse in the Bible. There's no words. It's just you
look up a verse and a phrase and it gives you a bunch of cross-references
and then you go to those that are cross-references and then
you go to... I looked up as many as I could look up. As many as I could find in due
time and they all, every one of them, cross-reference specifically
to our salvation by divine election and blood redemption. Basically
God showing favor to the unfavorable. I was amazed. I know that verse. Deuteronomy, Ruth, Samuel, Psalms,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Malachi, Romans, every cross
reference to this in due time spoke about God's time. God's,
in His sovereign electing grace, sent His Son to call and quicken
a people by His purpose of grace, purpose of redemption, purpose
of sanctification, all God's time. It's God's time. God's
time. So what about us here this morning?
Turn and closing to 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse
2. Now this may be a little scary,
but let me just read it. Verse 1, We then as workers together
with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God
in vain. For he saith, this is found in
the Old Testament, I have heard thee in a time accepted. And in the day of salvation have
I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. There is a day, there is a time
of salvation. If you're His, if you're ever
to be His, there is a day, a time of salvation. When I read that, I implore the
Lord of glory, while on others you are calling, do not pass
me by. Do not pass me by. He's going
to call His elect sheep. He may use this slow, stammering,
backward, under-shepherd. But I have confidence that His
Word will not return void. While He is calling others, do
not pass me by. I pray that that would be our
desire, to be where the Gospel, to partake of His means of grace.
He can save without these means. But he more often than not saves
you by using these means. Telling somebody, inviting somebody,
being under where the gospel is being preached, hearing the
gospel. There's a time, in due time, it's God's time. And we're
recipients. What a glorious God we serve.
Sovereign over the most, most minute thing ever. To God be the glory. Bruce, would
you close us?