Okay, let's find Romans chapter
5 one more time. I'm taking the title for the
message from what is said in verse 6. Verse 6, for when, when
we, you, me, we were yet without, without, without hope, without
God, and without Christ. We were without. We were without. righteousness, without strength,
without salvation. According to the time, in due
time, God's time, His appointed time, the Lord Jesus Christ died
for sinners. He died for the ungodly. If you
can somehow identify with that word ungodly, I've got hope for
you. God has hope for you, if you
can identify with that word ungodly. So the title, Christ died for
the ungodly. One old preacher said of the
past, he was a well-known preacher back in the 1800s, he said, if
I had just five words to preach the rest of my life, It would
be those five words, Christ died for the ungodly. That's my message. As Paul said, I'm determined
on nothing among you, but Jesus Christ in him crucified. These
verses, in these verses we find comfort and assurance, the believer
does. The believer who's resting in
the Lord Jesus Christ. A believer knows that he's a
sinner and he's guilty before God. We know that. We know that. And because the Scripture teaches
us that. Look back one page in Romans
chapter 3, verse 19. He said, Now we know that what
things whoever the law saith, that saith to them that are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
guilty, guilty, guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified, for by the law
is a knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. even the righteousness of God which is by the faith
of Jesus Christ upon all them that believe there's no difference
Jew or Gentile for all have sinned to come short of the glory of
God being justified freely by his grace. We know that we are
sinners, we know that we're guilty before God, There's none righteous,
no, not one, as it says in Romans 3. And I was looking this scripture
up here this week in Ecclesiastes 7.20, where it says, there's
not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
Not one. None righteous, no, not one. Is there any hope for sinners
such as we are? Any hope? A believer knows that
his sin deserves nothing but judgment, judgment, judgment.
Judgment look at Romans chapter 6 verse 23. Here's what our sin
deserves Here's what we deserve if God sent me to hell he'd be
just he'd be doing right, but that's what I deserve Romans
chapter 6 verse 23 for the wages of sin is death and Ah, the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So a believer
knows that he's deserving nothing but judgment and wrath. That's
why he cries out for mercy. God be merciful to me, a sinner,
the sinner. A believer also knows that his
only hope of forgiveness and salvation is through the blood
and righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. Look back at Romans chapter
3. Excuse me, Romans chapter four,
verse six. Romans chapter four, verse six.
Even as David also described the blessedness of the man unto
whom God has imputed righteousness without work saying, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. We're justified freely by His
grace through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
this is what we have given to us here. We see beyond doubt
the love God has for His people in that the Lord Jesus Christ
gave Himself to put away our sins. Hereby receive we the love
of God, because he laid down his life for us. Doesn't it say
that there in verse 10? Verse 9 and 10. Verse 8. But God committed 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. Now, let's see if we can unpack
some of this. Verse 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11
will be our text. The sum and substance of the
Gospel message is that Christ died for the ungodly. It says here we were without
strength. It says here that we were sinners.
It says here we were enemies. It says here we are ungodly.
You see that? When we were yet without strength,
verse 6. According to the time, the appointed
time, according to the time, the Lord Jesus Christ died for
his people. Now, that's good news. That's
good news. We see who it is that died. The
Christ of God, the lovely, blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. God incarnate, the lovely Son
of God. manifested in the flesh to put
away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. Who is the Lord Jesus
Christ? He's the Christ of God. Behold,
the Lamb of God that takes away our sin. In the beginning was
the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And that
Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Lord Jesus Christ,
in due time, Christ died, the anointed, the blessed Savior
of sinners. This is what gives power, glory,
and success to what he did. It's who he is. He's the anointed. When you see that word that Christ
died, that word Christ means he's the anointed messiah, the
anointed priest, prophet, and king. Prophet to reveal the truth
to us, a priest to redeem us with his blood, and a king to
reign over us. He's the Christ of God, the lovely,
blessed son of God. That's what gives power and success
to what he did. It's who he is. It's who he is. God bought us with his own blood. And I tell you what, my friend,
he's going to have what he bought. He's going to take home the glory,
every one he bought, and he's going to enjoy them forever.
We see that he died a shameful death under the wrath of God
for our sin, and that was only by the will and purpose of God.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. You have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain
the Lord of glory. But they only did what God determined
before to be done. He died the appointed death for
the appointed people at the appointed time. And it's not... People
think they see the Lord Jesus Christ
by faith through the Word. We see Him nailed to a tree.
Wicked men did wicked things to Him. They beat Him. They mocked Him. They crushed
Him. They nailed Him to a tree. They put a spear in His side.
But remember, it's not what men did at the cross that's our hope. It's not what they did. Oh, they
did wicked things. But they only did what God determined
before to be done. But it's not what wicked men
did. That's not our hope. It's what God was doing at the
cross. It pleased God to bruise him in our room and in our stead. When I was in Kingsport, that
Bible conference last week, I met one of the men there that originally
invited me to come and preach there to him and his family.
And he asked me, he said, Brother Tom, do you remember the first
message that you brought to us 19 years ago? And I said, I sure
do. I sure do. And I quoted that
verse to him from Lamentations chapter 1 verse 12. Is it nothing
to you, all ye that pass by, behold and see, perbating sorrow,
like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger? And he said,
you remember your outline? I said, yeah, I do. I do. And the reason I do, because
I've preached that message more than one time. It's one of my
favorite messages to preach. But in that message, I preached
God planned the cross. God planned the cross. He's the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God presided over
the cross. Remember Pilate said, don't you
know I have power to crucify you or to release you? And remember
what the Lord said, you don't have any power over me, but that
which is given to you from above. So who was in charge that day?
It wasn't Pilate. It wasn't the Jews. It's God
who reigned on the thrones in charge of all things. God planned
the cross, presided over the cross, and participated in the
afflictions of the cross. And I quoted this scripture from
Zechariah 13, 7. And wake, O sword, against my shepherd. against
the man that is my fellow, smite the shepherd, the sheep shall
be scattered, and I'll turn my hand upon the little ones." What
happened to those sheep when the Lord Jesus Christ gave his
life? What happened to Peter and John and James? They all
forsook him and fled. Scattered the sheep, didn't it?
But the Lord said, I'll turn my hand upon my little ones.
I'll call them, those lost sheep, back. So it's not what men were
doing at the cross. That's not our hope. It's what?
God was doing in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In due time, Christ died. Who died? God Almighty in human
flesh. God alone cannot suffer, man
alone cannot satisfy, but the God-man mediator both suffered
and satisfied his own holy law for us. We see for whom he died,
it says there, In due time, the Christ of God died, the Lamb
of God died, He died for good folks. He died for the ungodly. He died
for the ungodly as a sinner's substitute, as we often say in
the room and instead of His covenant people, to honor God's own holy
law and justice on our behalf. Turn back to Romans 3. Romans
3. Verse 23, for all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God set forth. God foreordained Him. That word
set forth, you see the marginal reference? God foreordained this
Lamb to be the propitiation, the sacrifice that removes our
sin. through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God, the long-suffering, the
mercy of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness,
that He might be just and the justifier of those who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. So we see that He died just for
the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. He died for those
who are without strength, without God. Turn to Ephesians chapter
2, I believe it is. Hold your place there. Bookmark
Romans chapter 5. Find over here Ephesians chapter
2. Ephesians chapter 2. We were enemies, ungodly, sinners,
without merit, without strength, without hope, without Christ.
Ephesians chapter 2, little verse 12. That at that time you were
without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world, but now In Christ Jesus, you who
sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood of Christ,
for he is our peace. He is our peace. Look up the
page Ephesians 2 verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Back to our text, Romans chapter
5. We see the Lord Jesus Christ
died for the ungodly, for enemies, for sinners. He didn't come to
call the righteous, but sinners. Sinners to repentance. And we
see when He died, the appointed time. It says there, according
to the time. Remember our Lord said, no man
takes my life from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. He died the appointed death.
He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. He died for the appointed people. Who are the appointed
people? Call his name Jesus. He shall
save his people from their sin. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. So he died the appointed death
for the appointed people. At the appointed time, In the fullness of time, God
sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them for the appointed purpose. What was the purpose? God's glory.
Everything he does is for his glory. The grand design, the
old preacher said years ago, Jonathan Edwards, the grand design
of redemption is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the
appointed time for the appointed purpose that God might be just
and justify the ungodly. Turn with me to Romans 8, 32. Romans 8, 32. Oh, if God be for us, verse 31,
Romans 8. If God be for us, who can be
against us? 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? Romans 8, 33. Who shall anything
to the charge of God delect? It is God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us. For when we were yet without
strength, back to the text, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. Look at verse seven now. Romans
five, verse seven. For scarcely, or with difficulty,
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure,
maybe, perhaps, for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commended his love toward us, and that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died. with difficulty or scarcely for
a righteous man, a strict, moral, religious man would one give
his life. Perhaps for a good man, someone generous and kind,
some might venture and be bold to give his life for that man.
But God, you see that? But God commended his love. His
love, here in his love, when John writes about the love of
God, he says here in his love, not that we love God, he loved
us. And he sent his son to be the
sacrifice for our sin. God commended his love toward
us. How long has God loved his people?
He loved us with an everlasting love. Therefore, with love and
kindness, he draws us to himself. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't
die to get God in a loving notion. The Lord Jesus Christ died because
God eternally has loved his people in Christ Jesus, and nothing
can separate us from the love of God, which is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, God committed his love toward us. In that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. That's why Paul was so solitarious,
such a self-righteous, such a self-righteous man, so full of pride, religious
pride. And he said, I was before a blasphemer
and a persecutor, one who caused injury and death, but obtained
mercy. I did it ignorantly. I did it
in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is
in Christ Jesus. Oh, he said, this is a faithful
saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. And he says, I'm the chief one. No one offended, no one sinned
against God so terribly as Saul of Tarsus. But I tell you, Saul
of Tarsus has a rival. I'm his rival. I'm the chief
of sinners. I hope you feel the same way
about yourself. You're sitting there, yeah, I
agree with you, preacher. You're the chief of sinners. Point that
finger right here. Point that finger at yourself.
We're all the chief offenders, aren't we? But God commended His love toward
us while we were yet sinners. God commended His electing love,
sovereign love, everlasting love. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated, unchanging love toward us. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in our Lord Jesus Christ. When we were
enemies, it says in verse 10, we were reconciled to God, the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ gave freely. He offered freely his life and
his sexual sacrifice for our sin. He made complete and total
satisfaction to God's law and justice on our behalf. The just
dying for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God. The
Lord Jesus Christ, in paying for us with his own blood, Eternal
redemption. His blood cleanses us from all
our sin. Look at verse nine. God commended
his love for us. Oh, what love. Christ died for
us. That's a miracle of grace, isn't
it? For us. He died for us. Wounded for our
transgression. Bruised for our iniquity. Chastisement
of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.
Verse 9, much more than. I love that phrase, much more. Paul uses that a lot. Much more. He uses that five times, I think,
here in the book of Romans chapter 5, but he uses it 20 other times
throughout his writing, his epistle. Much more than being now justified. were justified, not by the deeds
of the law. You remember, look across the
page over here, Romans 3, 28. Romans 3, 28. Therefore, we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,
much more than being now justified, not by our works, not by our
deeds, by his blood. His blood justifies us, delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Being
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Now, what's this wrath stuff?
I thought God loved everybody. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son,
not the Son. He believeth not the Son. What
is that word? The wrath of God abides on that
person, the wrath of God. How can a sinner escape the wrath
of God? By having a substitute who suffered
the wrath of God for our sin, bearing our sin in his own body
on the tree. Being justified by Christ through
his blood, we're not only justified and made righteous, but we shall
be saved or delivered from the wrath to come. The wrath to come. There is a day of judgment coming. A day of judgment is coming.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. But what about those outside
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Nothing but wrath and judgment. Judgment to come. I want to show
you something over here. If you'll turn, I think it'll
be a blessing to you. Over here in 1 Thessalonians,
turn back a few pages from 1 Timothy. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, right
after Colossians. Ephesians, Colossians, Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 9. 1 Thessalonians 1, 9. For they themselves show of us
what manner of entering we had unto you, how you turn to God
from idols Turn to God from your idols to
serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from
heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come." In the same epistle, turn to chapter
5, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 at verse 9. For God hath not appointed
us unto wrath, God has appointed us to obtain salvation by Lord
Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep,
we should live together with Him. He's not appointed us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation by His sovereign saving grace. Oh, that's good news, is it not?
Back to Romans chapter 5. We're saved from wrath through
Him, for if, when we were enemies, Verse 10. When we were enemies,
we were what? Reconciled. Reconciled to God
by the death of his son, much more than being reconciled, we
shall be saved because he ever lived to intercede for us. We
shall be saved. We're reconciled to God. Now,
you understand the principle of reconciliation, right? Turn
to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Reconciliation. is the opposite
of separation. Separation. What separated us? Our sin has separated us from
God. Isaiah 59, 2. How can we be reconciled
back to God? Well, here we see the answer
to that. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18. All things are of God. who reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry
of reconciliation. To wit, that is namely, God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them, and has committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you
in Christ's stead. Now, be ye reconciled. God's
been reconciled in Christ. Now, lay down your shotgun. Submit,
bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. For God had made him to be sin
for us. Verse 21. What a verse. Who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Our sin caused separation. Because we've been reconciled
to God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have reconciliation. We're made one with Him. We have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ put away
our sin completely, effectively, forever. So much so that God
said, their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. Well, that's effectual, isn't
it? He separated our sin from us as far as the east is from
the west, cast into the depths of the sea, cast behind his back.
There are no more. Blessed is a man whom the Lord
will not impute, will not charge sin. We are saved not only by
his death, but by his life. Our Lord said, because I live,
you shall live also. We read a moment ago, He was
delivered for our offenses, raised again because He justified us. How do we know that what He did
was accepted of the Father and satisfying unto the Father? He's
seated on the throne in glory, raised from the dead, seated
because He finished the job and He ever lived to intercede for
us right now. We have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. We're saved by His life. He ever
lived for us. There's one mediator between
God and sinners. Who is it? One mediator. You need one, don't you? You
need an advocate, don't you? You need an intercessor, don't
you? Because you're sinners, you're ungodly, you're enemies. What do we need? An advocate.
We need an intercessor. We need a mediator. Who is it?
The Lord Jesus Christ. The only one. There's only one. He said, I'm it. I'm the way.
I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man come to
the Father but by and through me. Verse 11. For if we were enemies, we are
reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved because He ever lived to intercede
for us. able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lived to make
intercession for us. Verse 11, and not only is that
so, I mean there's more, not only is that so, but also joy
in God. We enjoy salvation by His grace
in God, by God, purpose and grace given to us in Christ before
the foundation of the world with joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ by whom we have now received the atonement. We've received
this reconciliation. How was salvation received? Not
by doing, by believing. Faith doesn't accomplish salvation,
faith receives him who did accomplish our salvation for us. Look at the last few verses in
Romans chapter 5. And we'll come back and look
at this one more time next week, Lord willing. Romans 5 verse
19. For as by one man's disobedience,
we know who that one man is. And Adam all sinned, and Adam
all died. For one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. So by the obedience of one another,
shall many be made righteous. Now we see those two men. God's
going to deal with all men everywhere in these two men. In Adam all
died, in Christ all are made alive. Moreover the law entered
that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, Grace
does much more abound. Grace does much more abound.
Sin abounded in Adam, but grace does much more abound. We get
much more. There's that word again. Much
more. That, verse 21, as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Whose righteousness? Christ.
Grace Raines. I had a preacher in the neighborhood. He preaches in this neighborhood. He had the shirt that he's preached
at for many years. And he challenged me one day
in Walmart. I ran into him one day at Walmart.
And we got into a conversation. And I've talked to this man before. He told me, the preacher said,
you're always talking about sovereign grace, sovereign grace, sovereign
grace. He said, you can't show me sovereign grace in the Scriptures.
He said, you can't find a word and term sovereign grace in the
Scripture. I said, you're wrong. Right there it is. Verse 21,
that sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign. That's sovereign grace, isn't
it? Reign, the Lord thy God reigneth. Isaiah 52, the Lord thy God reigneth,
grace reigns, sovereign grace, there it is, through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That's so, isn't it? Thank God the Lord Jesus Christ
came, laid down His life for sinners just like you, just like
me, that our salvation might be by the sovereign, free, effectual,
calling grace of God. His purpose and grace in Christ
Jesus.