Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Date: 9-20-98

Sermon Number: 27

Text: Romans 5:6-8

The Incomparable Love of God in Christ

Did you know that "Love, not demonstrated, cannot be proven." Have you ever thought about that? "Love that is not demonstrated cannot be proven." Most of you, I am sure, understand this. In fact most of you know someone who says they love another person but their actions prove differently. Love that is not demonstrated cannot be proven. In conjunction with that statement let me read the following definition of love. "Love is a caring concern and affection that one person has for another which causes them to seek the other's good and happiness by the sacrifice of themselves for the person loved." In other words love is something you do for another. It is not just an emotion. It does not consist of a proclamation alone. Love demonstrates itself by actually doing something for the person that is loved.

Today we consider the love of God for His elect people and how God demonstrates His love for us. Look with me at Romans 5:1-8 NASB.

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, {2} through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. {3} And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; {4} and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; {5} and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. {6} For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. {7} For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. {8} But God DEMONSTRATES His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

These verses call us to the consideration of the incomparable love of God in Christ. These few scriptures answer the question, "How does the believer know that God loves him?" We know that God loves us, {6} "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

We must remember who Paul is speaking to in the book of Romans. Verse one of this chapter reminds us of who the readers were. "Therefore having been justified by faith, WE have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Who is it that has peace with God through Christ? It is the Christian of course. The letter was written to Christians, to believers, to us. These alone have peace with God, and access to Him. He writes to believers, the justified and those who will be ultimately glorified. Though we are now Christian, cleansed, and forgiven of our sins, Paul reminds that it was not always so. We were not in this regenerate condition when Christ died, rather we were spiritually helpless. We were the enemies of God. Hear the word of the Lord on this.

(Ephesians 2:1-3 NASB) Speaking to Christians Paul says, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, {2} in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. {3} Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Another description of our former condition is found in Ephesians 2:12-13 NASB. ". . remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." We who have been brought near by the blood were separate from God and His Christ without hope in this world. We were helpless.

Just how helpless were we when Christ died for us? Listen to the testimony of scripture as it speaks of the unsaved. We were so helpless we could not understand spiritual truth. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB) "But a natural man (a man born only to his mother) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." There was a time when the simple message of the Gospel was completely incomprehensible to us.

Secondly we could not hear the voice of God. (John 8:43 NASB) "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word." The saved hear God speaking through His word and they understand what He is saying. But before we were saved the Bible was a closed book to us.

Third, prior to our salvation we could not see or understand the kingdom of God. (John 3:3 NASB) Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see (comprehend, comprehend, or enter) the kingdom of God."

Fourth, we could not come to Christ. (John 6:44 NASB) "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." At the time Christ died for us, brothers and sisters, we were unable to go to Him for salvation. That is real helplessness!

Fifth we could not obey God's law. Therefore we could not please Him in any way. (Romans 8:6-8 NASB) "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, {7} because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; {8} and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Prior to being born the second time a person cannot do anything that pleases God, he is helpless.

Sixth, and closely related to the previous point, we were a people who could not preform even one righteous act. (Romans 3:12 NASB) "ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." (Isaiah 64:6 NASB) "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And ALL OUR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS ARE LIKE A FILTHY GARMENT; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Before Christ came into our lives we were prisoners of our sin and it took us wherever it wanted us to go.

Point number seven is that we were a people who could not change on our own. Sinners cannot pull themselves up by their own boot straps. (Jeremiah 13:23 NASB) "Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil. The answer called for is, of course, no. Man cannot change the condition of his soul.

Look with me finally to a graphic description of the sinners helplessness and the greatness of the love of God. (Ezekiel 16:1-14 NASB) Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, {2} "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, {3} and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem, "Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. {4} "As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. {5} "No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. (Here is total helplessness and hopelessness. Here is certain destruction without the intervention of someone.) {6} "When I (God) passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!' . . . {9} "Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you, and anointed you with oil. {10} "I also clothed you with embroidered cloth, and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. {11} "And I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands, and a necklace around your neck. {12} "I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. {13} "Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. {14} "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect BECAUSE OF MY SPLENDOR WHICH I BESTOWED ON YOU," declares the Lord GOD.

Here is a good picture of our helplessness and corruption by sin and also of the love of God for His elect people. It is when we were in this condition that Christ gave His life for us. But why would He do such a thing? It was certainly not because we attracted Him with our beauty. We were squirming in our own blood. We were God's enemies. Why did Christ die for us? He died for us because God set His love on us. He did so in spite of the fact that we were throughly and completely unlovable. God loved us and Jesus died to save us from our sin and His Father's wrath. He did so, "at the right time."

In the book of Ecclesiastes we learn that for every thing under the sun there is a set time. A time to be born, a time to die, a time for everything. This is true for historical events. It is true as concerns the details of our lives and it was true as concerns the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. His death was no happen chance event. Christ died at just the right time for His elect people.

I know you recall the many times men tried to kill the Savior only to have their plans miraculously overthrown. The scripture explains this time and time again by saying, "His time had not yet come." The time of Christ's death had been ordained, or predetermined. It had been set but had not yet arrived. The determination that Christ should die and when He would die was made from before the foundation of the world. This is why we find the following words in (Revelation 13:8 KJV) "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, (the beast) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." You see, God's determination that Christ would die for sinners was made before time began to tick away. It was made in die in eternity past. So certain was it that Christ would die the scriptures speak of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. In other words Jesus was as good as dead the moment the Divine decision was made. There was an appointed time for His death and He died at that exact time. Consider the following scriptures.

(Galatians 4:4-5 NASB){4} "But when THE FULNESS OF THE TIME CAME, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, {5} in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." We were not sons but since Christ has died for us we have become sons of God! The timely death of our Savior made this possible.

Consider also the words of 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NASB. "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne AT THE PROPER TIME."

Look with me also at Acts 2:22-23 NASB. "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know-- {23} this Man, delivered up by the PREDETERMINED PLAN AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."

Do you see, dear Christian, the magnificence of God's love for you? Do you understand that Christ's death was no after thought. It must not be seen as some scheme concocted after God was surprised by man's sin. No, it was before creation that God set his love upon us. It was in eternity past that this took place. Then, because it pleased Him, He determined to love and save us by the offering up of His dear Son. It was then that God set in motion all things necessary to accomplish His purpose and will for us in Christ. Thus Jesus died at just the right time, for the right people. Christ died for the ungodly!

Christ died for the ungodly. What an amazing thing this is, Christ dying for the ungodly. He was the only begotten Son of God. He was Immanuel, God with us. He was the spotless, sinless one and He died for me, an ungodly sinner. He died intentionally according to the plan of God and He did so at just the right time. Why? Because of the great love with which He loved us!

Let's consider the word ungodly. Christ died for the ungodly. An ungodly person is one with a lack of reverence for God. He is not interested in true goodness or godliness. He is missing, as it were, any element of godliness in his life at all. He is un-godly. The ungodly are interested only in themselves. They are interested in fulfilling their own wants and desires. They are driven to satisfy their senses rather than to obey the will of God as revealed in the scripture. This is positively ungodly behavior. This is what we, who are now justified, once were. And while we were in this condition, could care less, and were bent toward sin away from God, Christ Jesus the Lord died FOR us. We deserved to die but Jesus stepped in and took our place. He sacrificed His own holy life for us. Not because of any good we had done or would do but because He loved us with an everlasting love. This is a most amazing and uncommon love. Paul illustrates this in verse seven.

(Romans 5:7 NASB) "For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die."

There are two types of men mentioned here. First there is a righteous man. This is a man who is moral, strict, religious in all his ways. Yet he may not be loved by his fellow humans to any great extent. It is, therefore, unlikely that another human would give his life for him should such a need arise. Second, there is the good and benevolent man. One who is gracious, kind, and considerate toward all. Among men he is beloved and respected. People see great worth in him, they would rally to his side should he be in trouble. For this man someone might dare to die. Such a human sacrifice would warm the hearts of many. And to a great extent those who knew the "good" man would not be surprised to hear that someone had given his life for him. What God did in and through Christ goes so far beyond this as to be immeasurable. Christ did not die for the righteous, or for the good. Rather, He died for the infinitely evil and wicked enemies of His Father. He died for us, the ungodly, the very people who nailed Him to the cross!

Hear our text once again. (Romans 5:8-10 NASB) "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

God has gone way beyond the above illustration. For He has caused His Son to die for His enemies. The word demonstration, in verse eight, not only describes the past event of the crucifixion but holds forth Christ's atoning death as an on going and perpetual demonstration of God's love for His people.

It is important to think on this. It was Christ who died in our place. It was not another sinful man who deserved death for his sins. It was God in the flesh. He left His royal and privileged position in glory. He humbled Himself, He came in the form of sinful man to die, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. It was the divine being put to death for the human, God giving Himself for His enemies. Make it personal beloved. For love's sake Jesus bore the full penalty for MY sin. He suffered God's wrath that I, might have life everlasting. Here is the incomparable love of God in Christ for His elect people.

The benefits of this loving sacrifice are to numerous to mention but consider these. By Christ's death we are saved from the wrath to come. We are justified by His blood. We are reconciled to God. We have peace with God. We have access to God. We will share in the glory of God. We have been freed from sins tyranny. And we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. On and on and on we could go! We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ!

Why are these wonderful treasures ours? Why has God done all this for us? Why has Christ died for us? Brothers and sisters, it was to demonstrate His love for us! This incomparable love God has for us in and through Christ is the reason for all the blessings we Christians enjoy. Oh to be loved with a perfect everlasting love! What joy should fill the hearts of God's people as they gaze again upon this demonstration of love. For, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly." He died for me because He loved me!