Romans 5:7–8
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
Good evening, church. It's really good to be with you here tonight. Trying to make sure the light doesn't blind me, but I think we're good. Open up your Bibles with me and turn to Romans chapter 5. Or if you have a bulletin, it's right in front, on the first page. Romans chapter 5, verses 7 and 8. Again, it is Romans chapter 5, verses 7 and 8. I'll start reading in verse 7. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person what would dare even to die.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Some of you may know that I am one of the teachers in the preschool Sunday school class. And at the end of my lessons, at every single one, I tell my kids this. When you leave today and your parents ask you, what did you learn today? I want you to tell them this, and I give them a sentence. And in the same way, when all of you go home tonight, when your kids or your friends or your family, coworkers, ask you, what did you learn tonight?
What did you learn from the book of Romans, from chapter 5, verses 7 and 8? You can tell them this. You and I, we don't deserve the cross. But Christ still died for us. so remember his sacrifice again you and i we do not deserve the cross but christ still died for us so remember his sacrifice we will first explore what it means for christ to die for us and then we'll see what it means for us to remember what he has done so first what does it mean for christ to die for you, for me. Look at verse 7 with me. I'll read it one more time. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.
What does this mean? Because at first glance, when I first prepared this text, it doesn't seem obvious what Paul is talking about. It's confusing even. What's the grammar that he's using? Why is he talking about dying all of a sudden? Is there a difference between the righteous person, the good person, why is it so strange? Well, to understand what verse 7 is doing and what 7 and 8 is doing as a whole, we have to look back at verse 6. We have to look back where Paul gives us a simple truth that he then explains further in 7 and 8. So, read with me verse 6.
for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Simple, isn't it? If you grew up in church or have been a Christian for a long time, this is a simple truth. Christ died for sinners. I know that. You know that. Let's move on. But Paul didn't move. He stayed. He lingered. He wanted to say more because this isn't just a simple truth. This is a profound truth. For Paul, this simple truth is more profound than anything. And so, he digs deeper. He goes deeper. The fact that Christ died for the ungodly stands at the center of our lives as Christians, at the center of our hope for what is to come.
And so, he goes into verse 7 and 8 explaining what this really means. Why, then, is it significant that Christ died for the ungodly? It's significant because it is precisely what we would not do. To give up your life is unexpected. It's unnatural. It's contrary to the world. It's contrary to who we are. To give your life up for someone else so that they may live is a big sacrifice.
And if we really have to sacrifice ourselves, we wouldn't want to just give it to anyone, right? We want to give it to someone who we think deserves it, someone who's righteous, someone who's good. The reality is not everyone is willing to give up their lives. Even in the context of the book of Romans, even in the time when Paul wrote this book, Where duty is lifted up above most things, even your own life, to willingly die for someone is rare, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person.
Here's the question Paul asks, though. Would anyone sacrifice such a huge thing, their own lives, for someone who doesn't deserve it? For someone who isn't righteous, for someone who isn't good, for someone who isn't a friend, who isn't a family, but instead an enemy, an enemy who deserves anything else but mercy.
Would anyone die for you? Because make no mistake, brothers and sisters, when Paul speaks of righteous people, when he's talking about good people, he's not talking about you. He's not talking about me. You are not the righteous people. You are not the good people. You are enemies of God, sinners who spat on his face and trampled all over his blessing. You have at one point rejected His authority as your creator, and you put yourselves in His place. You put yourselves in the place of God. You are His enemies. You don't deserve a life-giving sacrifice.
What you deserve, what I deserve, is death. Your sin has earned you death, has earned you the wrath of God, the judgment of God. And the only hope you have to be saved is for someone else to die for you. You can't die for yourself. That wouldn't pay for anything. That wouldn't solve anything. The only hope that you have is to take the punishment from someone else, to take the punishment from your sins. Someone else to die in your stead so that you may live. So, they'll be punished instead. They'll give their own life so that you may live.
Do you see the problem? Who's going to do that? Who's going to be willing to die for you? If Paul says that there are only a few who would die for someone righteous, there's only a few who would die for someone good, who's going to die for you? You who are not righteous, you who are not good, who is going to die for you, God's enemy?
Read with me verse 8, verse 8 of chapter 5. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. who is going to die for you? Who is going to give His life up so that you may live? It's Christ. It's Jesus Christ, who was sent by God to die for you. Was He sent to die because you're righteous? Was He sent to die because you're good? Because you deserve it? Because you've finally gone to enough church to earn salvation or fed enough homeless people or donated enough money to earn the points you need to get to heaven? No. It's because God loves you.
Pay attention to verse 8. But God shows his love for us. How? How did he show his love for you? In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We were still sinners. You were a sinner. i was a sinner but god loves us you don't deserve god's love i don't deserve god's love we were sinners we rebelled against him we deserve death we disobeyed his word we turn away from his commands we rejected his love we condemned him to the cross we were sinners and we could do nothing.
Hear me again. We can do nothing to save ourselves. But God loves you. He loves you in spite of your sins. He loves you not for what you accomplished, not for what you have done, but because of who He is. A loving God, a loving Father, a merciful God. And because He loves you, He sent Christ to die for you. Why? Why did He do such a thing? Why did He do such a thing? So that you may live, so that you escape death. And so if you have never believed in Christ, if you have never seen your sin for what it is, a rebellion against God, evidence that you are enemies against your Creator, then you are in trouble. If you've
never seen this, if you've never feel convicted for your sins, you are in trouble. You are not righteous. You are not good. And the punishment for your sin is death. Judgment is coming. And when Christ comes, judgment comes with Him. But there is a way to be safe. There is a way to be rescued from God's wrath, from His judgment. God loves you, and He wants you to be redeemed. He loves you so much that He sent His own Son to die for His enemies, to die for those who rebel against Him, those who hated Him, so that you may live. You don't deserve His sacrifice.
That's true. And there is nothing you can do to save yourselves. You've done nothing to earn Him. You've done nothing to earn salvation. You can only believe in Him. You can only believe in His death on the cross. You can only believe that the only way to be saved is through Christ. So don't delay. If you're here and you're not a Christian and you have never believed, don't delay. Believe in Him. Believe in Christ. Believe in what He has done on the cross. Believe that He died for your sins. Believe so that you may live. And for those of you who have believed in Christ, who have walked a fateful life, saved by God's grace, then praise the Lord. That's amazing. These two verses should be like a wellspring of goodness, a reminder time and time and time again of the great gift of God's love. What does it look like then for us to remember this truth,
to remember Christ's death on the cross in our lives? Well, two things. First, remember the cross in the good days. Some of you are living blessed lives right now. God is good, and He has given you good things. And that's great. Praise the Lord. He blesses those who loves Him. But that in itself can be a temptation. It's tempting. When life is good, it's tempting to turn away from God, to forget what Christ has done. Now, I haven't lived very long, but I imagine that there will be times like that in the future. But I've seen faithful men and women in this church who have modeled that well, who have modeled what it's like to remember Christ well as they live a life that's blessed by God. But the temptation is always there. It's hard to remember the cross, but remember, brothers and sisters, the gift you did not deserve. The life
that you live now is all a gift from your loving Father. Earn through the blood of Christ. So, talk about His grace with others. Talk about the cross with your brothers, with your sisters, with people in your home group, with people in your family, with your friends when you go get coffee or you play volleyball. Talk about it. Discuss it. Rejoice in it. Rejoice in it always. Encourage one another in what God has done in your life. Hear what God is doing in other people's lives. And in this way, remember that everything you have, you have not earned. You don't deserve it, but God has given you. Second, remember the cross in the bad days. Some of you instead are living in what seems like a valley. And for some of you, it's not just a valley. It's a deep ravine where you can barely see the light. Some of you are struggling with big financial problems
or medical issues, relational issues, and you're just not sure what God is doing right now. How is He working? Brothers and sisters, God loves you. He loves you, and He knows your struggles. He knows exactly what you need. And guess what? He already gave it to you. He already gave you the cross. Your greatest need is to be right with God, and that need is fulfilled because God loves you. And if He, who loves you so much, was willing to give up His own Son so that you may live, how much more will He take care of the things in your life?
Because it's tempting to forget what God has done for us in the midst of suffering. But remember Him. Remember His love for you. Those of you who know, brothers and sisters, sitting with you tonight, who are going through this deep valley, don't abandon them. Be with them. Encourage them. Listen to them. Cry with them. Rejoice with them. in all of these things, remember Christ with them. We don't deserve God's grace.
We don't deserve Christ's sacrifice. We were God's enemies, rebels against His kingdom, who deserves death and judgment. But God loves you, and He shows His love for you in this way, That while you were still a sinner, and in spite of your sin, Christ died for you. He died for you, sacrificing his own self so that those he loved would live. So that you would live.
So remember his sacrifice. Let it be in your mind day in and out. Let it shape your life. Let it shape every decision you make. Remember Christ. I ask you now, what did you learn tonight? we don't deserve the cross but Christ still died for us let's pray Lord we don't deserve you