Helpless not hopeless (revised)
Righteousness of God revealed - Book of Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 43:41
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Rip Tide
Rip Tide
Do you like to be in control? Be honest, do you? We like to have control or assume we have control, a handle on things don’t we? This morning we will be looking at helpless but not hopeless.
(Insert Rip Tide picture here)
(Illustration, rip tide) - A rip tide takes you where you don’t want to go, is stronger than you think, and the more you fight it you just get worn out and gain nothing. The same is with our salvation.
We cannot save ourselves (Eph2:8-9)
Eph2:8-9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
You have been justified, God did for you what you could not do for yourself (Rom5:1-2)
ROm5:1-2 “1 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.”
God is like, but better than a lifeguard. But a lifeguard uses a skiff to get someone out of a rip current but the swimmer must make a decision to get into the skiff, just like you need to make a decision to be “in Christ.”
The rip tide can be compared to our tribulation (Rom5:3)
The skiff brings about a solution (Rom5:3-5)
ROm5:3-5 “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.”
Peace with God (Rom5:1) peace of God (Php4:7-8)
You have hope! (Rom5:5)
You see the lifeguard skiff, you are not saved from the rip tide current yet, but you know help is there.
While you were yet a sinner God sent Jesus to give you hope so that You could be saved.
Christ’s death made our way to be saved (Rom5:6-10)
Christ’s life made the way of our salvation (Rom5:9-11)
Christ’s life reconciled through death to a risen life in the son (Rom5:9-11)
Last week we did not finish our billboards and we need to review quickly and do our last one before getting to our passage today.
Talked about purpose of a billboard
Billboard of Scripture
Billboard of tribulation and suffering
(Transition) that is where we finished last week, and still have one more to cover, the billboard of hope.
Billboard of hope
Billboard of hope
Hope, we all want hope, and if you are a justified Christian you have hope (1Tim1:1) and that hope has a name, Jesus Christ. Our billboard of hope should display Jesus Christ and the hope we have in Him.
5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. 6 For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose.
I want to take a side journey right now into hope, so grab your outline for there are some blanks to fill out in this, then will return to hope that does not disappoint.
We are to have hope against hope (Rom4:18)
18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
Speaking of Abraham! and you, because of your faith, because of your hope you are Abraham’s descendant!
We are to exult (celebrate) hope (Rom5:2)
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.
For we have been saved in hope, in what is not seen (Rom8:24)
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
Oh wait, there is much more, I want us to get a good picture of hope
For God is the God of hope that fills us (Rom15:13)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hope that is in the hope of His righteousness (Gal5:5)
5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
And there is only One hope according to Eph4:4; Hope laid up for you in heaven (Col1:5)
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
Firmly established hope in the gospel (Col1:23)
23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
Set your hope on living God (1Tim4:10) and hope in eternal life (Tit1:2)
Boast in your hope (Heb3:6); Realize the full assurance of your hope (Heb6:11) it is an anchor to your soul (Heb6:19)
6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
and be in full assurance
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
For it is an anchor
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
Hold firmly to the hope (Heb10:23); our living hope through the resurrection (1Pt1:3)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
Cling to, hold fast to the confession of our hope. to our living hope made possible through the resurrection
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
So, now back to our passage
4 endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope. 5 This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.
Hope does not disappoint the one who is
Justified by faith (5:1)
Perseveres through proven character (5:4)
The one endures knowing they will get to share in the glory of God!
The glory of God that was poured out (5:5)
The billboard of hope is a tree of life may we remember to cling to our hope!
For Disappointment can lead to discouragement
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Discouragement can lead to unproven character
Unproven character to despair.
But to the believing, hope filled Christian, hope will not disappoint, why for God’s love has been poured out
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.
At the right time, God sent Christ to die for us. God sent His Son with a passion and a purpose. May our lives be lived with a passion and a purpose!
(Insert Billboard of hope PowerPoint here)
What kind of billboard are we going to be? Do we need to make adjustments, changes? Are we willing to? God has equipped us to, so lets be a good billboard for Jesus!
(Transition) Now let’s see how far we get into today’s passage, I don’t expect that we will finish, and that is OK. Believe it or not, I’m learning to be OK with it these days.
Our Passage
Our Passage
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. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
What observations do you make in looking at this passage?
What did Christ do for us while we were helpless (v.6)?
How did God demonstrate His love for us (v.8)?
Besides being saved by His blood, what more are we saved from (v.9)?
How is man reconciled to God (v.10)?
What should be our response to our salvation, our reconciliation through the Son (v.11)?
Saved: By Christ’s Death
Saved: By Christ’s Death
Paul describes the greatness of God’s love through the death of Christ on the cross.
6 For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose. 7 It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person.
8 But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
While we were still helpless, Christ died for us (v.6)
While we were without strength (NKJV); Christ died for the wicked, the ungodly sinners. We were undeserving
Christ died at the right time, in due time, a chosen time. or at the fulness of time (Gal4:4) God sent His Son.
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
There were many things that needed to be done, put in place before the prophesy of Jesus was to be fulfilled. The Pax Romana as mentioned before (time of improvements, peace, roads, etc) had to be in place first.
At the right time when the sinners needed a Savior, the Savior was born of a woman, under the law, to save man from the law., having become a curse for us.
(Don’t need to read the verse below, just put it on the screen)
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ died for the ungodly (5:6)
Back in 3:25 we saw the word “propitiation” which is substitutionary sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath. in the Greek the word is “huper” I may have mentioned before, it means “for the sake of, in behalf of, instead of.
Spurgeon says this:
“You will say, ‘Oh, I am one of the worst of the world.’ Christ died for the worst of the world. ‘Oh, but I have no power to be better.’ Christ died for those that were without strength. ‘Oh, but my case condemns itself.’ Christ died for those that legally are condemned. ‘Ay, but my case is hopeless.’ Christ died for the hopeless He is the hope for the hopeless. He is the Savior not of those partly lost but of the wholly lost.”
Another way to look at this, is if Christ died for the ungodly, then the ungodly are without excuse if they do not come to Him and receive the grace, the justification that is made available through faith.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
Interesting verse, but think about this, Jesus did not die for the righteous or the good man, He died for the ungodly. There are people who have a form of righteousness but not of God, and when it comes to good, there is none good, no not one (3:12)
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
God showed us His great love how (5:8)? when was that love shown?
God, the Father, demonstrated His great love by sending His only begotten Son to die for us, to reconcile us to Himself.
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
God was in Christ! (2Cor5:19) reconciling man to God.
Some may say God was indifferent when it came to the cross, watching the Son suffer and die, how could a loving God do that? Jesus even said “why have you forsaken me?” Didn’t the Father care? Of course He did. So much that He allowed the Son to die for our sins, to reconcile the ungodly to a just God.
Commentator Morris said:
“It would be easy to see the cross as demonstrating the indifference of God, a God who would let the innocent Jesus be taken by wicked men, tortured, and crucified while he did nothing . . . Unless there is a sense in which the Father and Christ are one, it is not the love of God that the cross shows?”
Guzik says this, and it is beautifully put “The work of Jesus on the cross for us is God’s ultimate proof of His love for you. He may give additional proof, but He can give no greater proof. If the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love, it is also the ultimate demonstration of man’s hatred. It also proves that the height of man’s hatred can’t defeat the height of God’s love.”
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Reconciled while yet sinners by His death, saved by His life (5:10)
It is a demonstration of God’s love, Jesus dying on the cross, but it is also amazing on why He did it, for undeserving sinners like you and me who were rebellious against Him.
Saved by: Christ’s life
Saved by: Christ’s life
Saved by death, saved by life so that we can have life after death?
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
We shall be saved (5:9)
Saved from wrath through Him, saved from the wrath of God revealed from heaven (Rom1:18)
Rom1:18 “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
Notice the verb tense “shall” - this is our future hope; our future salvation that we work out with fear and trembling (Php2:12) as we wait for that great day.
Jesus took on the wrath, was our substitute so we can have our final salvation; our future salvation!
Another way to look at being rescued from the wrath to come (Rom1:18; Rom3:24-25, Rom4:24-25, 1The1:10; 2The1:6-10)
The wrath revealed from heaven as just noted
Because we all fall short of the glory of God
But Christ was raised for our justification
The last one I need to give to you, for it is vital to know what is coming to those who do not accept Christ
6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
We were reconciled (5:10)
If God so loved us in our rebellious state, think how much He loves us in our reconciled state. For Christ death is our grounds for justification
So, how does this play now?
He gave up His life for us (Jn10:18)
Jn10:18 “18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.””
Because of His resurrection we too can live now (Jn14:19)
Jn14:19 “19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”
He is able to save forever (Heb7:25) by intercession; lives to make intercession for us (Rom8:34); He is our Advocate (1Jn2:1)- it does not cease!
Heb7:25 “25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” - - - - intercedes by the continual washing of his blood as we walk in the light (1Jn1:7)
We have now received reconciliation (5:11)
Reconciled (Greek) - Katallasso means to change; exchange; to change from enmity to friendship.
God is not reconciling God to man, but reconciling man to God. He is doing it through His Only Begotten Son. He has not changed. Man did, man broke covenant. God did not move away, man did, and still is today.
You have reconciliation if you have been raised up (Col3:1-14)
Reconciled from first “Adam” where you had no choice, to being reconciled to “last Adam” where you have choice to choose. He is available to all through faith.
And because of the reconciliation we can rejoice!
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Unbelief rejects reconciliation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Belief receives reconciliation and is saved by it through faith that is obedient, that is surrendered.
We can rejoice in our reconciled state for we were helpless, but not hopeless for God sent Jesus to be our hope for past, present and future, that our salvation rests in Him and this we can know and be confident in!
We started this class with a rip tide and a lifeguard in a skiff. Have you gotten into the skiff? You cannot save yourself, but the lifeguard is there if you are willing to get in Him!
(Prayer) (Exit)