Romans 3_23_24 The Greatest Gift to Humanity sermon

Roman’s 3:23-24“The Greatest Gift to Humanity”

Intro: Christmas is nearly here and soon we will be receiving presents. I asked Chandler what he wanted for Christmas this year and he simply said presents!

CPS: Today I want to share with you the greatest gift given to humanity with the hopes that you will receive it and live the rest of your life in gratitude for it.

The Greatest Loss of Humanity (23)

Sin is a plague that effects all mankind, there is not a single person in this room or world that has not been touched by sin. HAVE SINNED is the Greek verb hamartanō, it means to do wrong, to act or intend to act contrary to the law of God. This term is preceded by the Adj. pas which means ALL, total, whole. Sin has encompassed the totality of the world and every male and female regardless of age, race, or religion has fallen victim to its deathly clutches. All 7.8 billion people alive today and the estimated 117 billion people that has ever lived have sinned thus we are all sinners! Pas excludes only one person, Jesus Christ my Lord…. However Pas includes me and you!

In order for us to appreciate The Greatest Gift to Humanity we must first look at the Greatest Loss of Humanity. Sin has caused much damage upon our world and because of sin we have suffered loss after loss.

The loss of understanding

The Truth of God

Sin has caused us to lose understanding of Truth, A.W. Tozer once said that “The problem with truth, is not that it’s too difficult to understand, the problem is the damage sin has done to our minds. Romans 1:25 says, “we have exchanged the truth of God for a lie!” Academia tells us “there is no absolute truth,” “truth is relative.” But Jesus said there is an absolute truth and the He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is a one true God and there is absolute truth to be found in the Word of God. Jesus prayed over His disciples, (John 17:17) saying “sanctify them in thy Word, Thy Word is Truth!”

The Acknowledgement of God

Sin has caused this world to lose the understanding that there is one true God. Today people are told “to “find the God in you,” I have no idea what that means! They are told that God is dead, He doesn’t exist, or He is anything that you want Him to be. Sin has damaged us so thoroughly that we can’t see what is so plainly apparent. Romans 1:19-20 “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” God has revealed His existence through creation! Psalm 119:1 “The heavens declare the Glory of God!”

ILL: Each time I take the boat out early in the morning and see the sun come up over the horizon, the light dancing off the water as though millions of mirrors line the surface of the sea I am reminded of God’s existance. Each time I fly and look down upon the clouds I see the craftsmanship of God that is so beautiful it takes your breath away, and I say “there certainly is one true God.” Each time I look up at the night air and see the stars twinkling so far off I am reminded of just how large the universe is and how complex it is that it didn’t just happen by random chance but by God’s miraculous design!

The Loss of Immortality

Sin has not only damaged our understanding but we have lost physical perfection and immortality. The Bible tells us the wages of sin is death. In the beginning death didn’t exist, there wasn’t violence, old age, or sickness. There was no appendicitis, arthritis, bronchitis, gastritis, tonsillitis, there wasn’t even any gingivitis. When sin entered the word sickness and death came upon us.

ILL: I was at the Grocery store when a cashier asked me how I was doing. I said, “I’m dying” she paused and said I’m sorry” then asked “what’s the matter.” I said, “I started dying the moment I took my first breath.” How true that is. Because of sin we begin to die at birth.

Death is a loss we all have experienced as we lose loved ones, and death is something we will all go through if the Lord tarries.

The Loss of Divine Fellowship

We have loss more than I have time to explain and can think of. But the greatest loss is the Divine Fellowship with God. In the beginning God walked among His creation and Adam and Eve enjoyed the divine presence of God. Genesis 3:8 tells us that “God walked in the Garden in the cool of the day.” But when sin came so did separation. Paul tells us that we come short of God’s glory.

Come short of is the Greek verb hystereō it means failure to attain. This verb is in the Present middle indicative meaning a continued action. We come short and continue to come short of the Glory of God. Glory is the Greek noun doxa, it means the praise of God. Coming short of God’s glory is the idea of our actions never being pleasing to God. Thus we miss out on the divine presence of God and the privilege that Adam and Eve originally enjoyed with God. When we sinned God separated Himself from us physically and now there is an infinite expanse between us and God’s Divine Presence. God is Holy and will not be in the presence of sin!

ILL: Imagine for a moment that you are standing on the edge of the great divide, and there is an expanse that measure the distance of this sanctuary. On one side of the divide is you and on the other side is God’s Divine Presence. To get to God you have to jump in one single bound across that divide, each of us would try and each of us would fail, coming up short we would fall into the abyss below. If we were given infinite opportunities to jump we would miss it and keep on missing it!

Since we have all sinned and come short of God’s glory we are cut off from direct fellowship with God and this is the great loss occasioned by sin.

The Greatest Gift to Humanity

We know how to give good gifts. I have sold plenty of great gifts. Gifts that express love and devotion but James 1:17 tells us that every perfect gift comes from God. If we as sinful man give good gifts how much more so will God! Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death (there is a price to pay for sin) but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The greatest gift to humanity is the gift that meets the greatest need of humanity, forgiveness of sin and eternal life. The Gift of God is Jesus and His redemption that comes by grace through faith. This gift gives man what his soul desires most, restoration to the Divine Presence of God after his life on earth is over.

God’s greatest Gift is Justification. Paul says though you have sinned by grace through faith you are being justified. Being Justified is the Greek verb dikaioō, it means to be put right with, to vindicate, Its God’s declaration of righteousness bestowed upon you at the expense of Jesus Christ His beloved Son. This is God causing us to be in a right relationship with Him. Granting us the thing we can never earn nor do we deserve. “Being justified” indicates a repeated or continual action, though sinners God continues to declare us righteous even as we continue in sin. It’s like Jesus standing in the court room of God continually saying to the court “put that sin on me.”

Notice how justification is obtained, “freely by His grace!” Freely is the Greek adverb dōrean, it means without cost, free of charge. I like how the NASB translates it, gift! Grace is the Greek noun charis, it means kindness, good will, or favor. It conveys a sense of a gift of kindness and favor given to a person and grace highlights the underserved nature of it. The greatest gift to humanity simply put is Salvation, motivated by the love of God, with no expectations of return without stipulation placed upon us. Salvation is God’s free gift to us!

ILL: How many of you have every received a gift then handed a bill for it. That’s not a gift at all!

Though we don’t have to pay for Salvation it came with a cost. Paul tells us our salvation came through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Redemption is the Greek Noun apolytrōsis it means deliverance or a release by ransom. This is the idea of a slave being purchased from an unrighteous master. Eph. 1:7 tells us “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Our salvation cost God greatly, the life blood of Jesus His Son.

ILL. The work of salvation was done on Calvary’s Cross and all we need do is hold out our hand and receive it. This Christmas I will give my wife a gift I’ll hand it to her and she will receive it. We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it.

Conclusion: Today I want to plead with you to hold out your hand and receive the Greatest Gift Given to Humanity, Jesus Christ my Lord. Who left the throne room of heaven and entered into humanity for the sole purpose of dying for your sin. Will you receive Him today?

Perhaps you’re here today and you have already received God’s Gift. I want you t take Notice, we are “being justified.” As believers we still fall short, we are sealed by the blood of Jesus and the down payment of the Holy Spirit ensures us that one day we will be glorified and never deal with sin again, we will never come up short again because we will finally be in the divine presence of God and be like Him.

But this is not justification to continue sinning! I have sold many wonderful gifts, gifts that speak of love and devotion just to have it returned. Gifts spurned for the sake of self pleasure. Someone who receives God’s gift of salvation should be forever grateful of it and though salvation isn’t earned we should walk in a manner worthy of our calling to it.

I was at the jewelry store the other morning working on sermon notes and I was starving like a flood victim. I went to the freezer and pulled out a hot pocket, knowing full well that my body can’t handle carbs like that. I become hyper, agitated, and aggressive, as I stood there staring at that hot pocket, God’s Word came to me “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31). By eating that hot pocket I would spurn the Greatest Gift given to me so I threw that uneaten hot pocket in the Garbage after considering the High Price of sin that Jesus paid. Perhaps today, you need to throw away the Hot Pocket or whatever sin in your life that Jesus paid so dearly for!