GOD’S ‘MUCH MORE’ LOVE – Romans 5:6-10

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 25, 2018 under 2018 |

Bethany Bible Church Palm Sunday message; March 25, 2018 from Romans 5:6-10

Theme: If God loved us so much while we were His enemies, how much more can we trust in that love now that we are reconciled to Him.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

This Sunday morning marks the beginning of what Christians around the world have come to refer to traditionally as ‘Holy Week’—a week that culminates in the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the tomb after having died on the cross for our sins.

As we approach that coming Resurrection Sunday, I think about how often it is that people ‘celebrate’ it without really thinking much about it. Even non-believing people—to some degree—get caught up in the celebration of the holiday. But how many people—even professing believers—celebrate it without truly allowing the significance of it to grip them? After all, if the thing we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday is true, then it is the greatest and most significant event in all of human history.

Christmas, of course, is the day on which we celebrate the fact that the Son of God was born into the human family. But Easter—or Resurrection Sunday as many of us prefer to call it—is the day on which we celebrate the fact that the Son of God fully completed what it was that He was born into the world to do. He died on the cross to purchase our redemption; and then was raised three days later to show that the great enemy—death—has been conquered, and that our redemption is accomplished, and that God the Father is completely satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and that all who now trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus are now justified in His sight and are destined to be raised in glory with Him.

If the great event of Resurrection Sunday is true, then it dramatically changes everything else in life. And yet, sad to say, few people seem to think sufficiently—if at all—about its magnificent implications as they celebrate it.

Well; I suspect that the same thing can be said with respect to this day—this first day of Holy Week—Palm Sunday. It’s the day on which we commemorate our Lord’s faithful ride into the city of Jerusalem—in obedience to the heavenly Father—in order to pay the death penalty for our sins and to purchase our redemption. His having done so is the greatest of all acts of love; and it is presented to us as the demonstration of the Father’s grace to us. Because of Jesus’ willingness to go to Jerusalem to die for us—no matter what else may happen in life—we can know for sure that God loves us infinitely and enduringly.

And yet, how few of us, who celebrate this day, truly think of the implications of it for everyday life.

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I have been drawn lately to the apostle Paul’s great New Testament letter to the Romans—and especially to Chapter 5. It’s there, I believe, that we are reminded of the significance of what we celebrate on Palm Sunday.

Paul was writing to his fellow believers in Rome, and was explaining to them the gospel that he preached. He explained to them in this letter how God had set forth His Son Jesus as the atoning sacrifice on the cross—the atoning sacrifice that takes away the guilt of our sins and makes it possible for Him to show us mercy. And Paul made the wonderful declaration in this letter that, by faith in Jesus, we are now declared ‘justified’ in God’s sight; that is, not only ‘not guilty’ in His sight, but even righteous before Him—as righteous, in fact, as His own precious Son Jesus.

In Romans 5; Paul wrote about the blessings that come from being declared righteous in God’s sight by faith in Jesus. And what wonderful blessings they are! He wrote;

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:1-5).

Take careful inventory of what Paul said. Because Jesus died for us, for example, we now have peace with God. There is now no longer any enmity between Him and us in Christ. We also have access to His grace. That means that we can now come to Him at any time for anything we may need—and freely receive all the blessings of His favor. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. That means that we are now destined to share in the glory of Jesus and enjoy His rich eternal inheritance with Him forever. We also have reason to glory in our tribulations and trials, knowing that God is using them to perfect us and to form us into the image of Christ. And as Paul puts it in verse 5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I would like us to pay special attention to that last blessing; because Paul himself gave special attention to it. He goes on in the next few verses to explain the ‘love of God’ that is poured out in our hearts—and how it assures us of a hope that does not disappoint:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 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 (vv. 6-10).

And just to make sure our focus is in the right place the whole time long, Paul adds in verse 11, “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Now, I ask; have you really allowed the glorious implication of Palm Sunday—and what it declares of the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ—to fully sink into your heart? It’s the day on which we celebrate the clear, objective, measurable demonstration of God’s love to us. He once-and-for-all demonstrated that He loves undeserving sinners like us. He demonstrated it on the cross; where He gave His own beloved Son to pay the penalty for our sins and to make us righteous in His sight

That gives us real substance of our hope in times of trial. No matter what else may happen in this world to those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, we can know—with absolute certainty—that God loves us.

Have you ever really thought of how precious and valuable and practical a thing that is? The event of Palm Sunday long ago—leading right up to the sacrifice He made for us on Good Friday—did not take away the present reality of our daily trials. I’m sure you know that very well. We may wave palm branches this morning; but our trials are still as painful as ever. And often, in the midst of those trials, we don’t feel much like waving palm branches. Instead, we feel more like crying out to God and saying, “Why, God? Why am I going through this difficult time? Why is this happening to me? Is this how You treat Your children? How can I know You love me when I must go through such times of tribulation and pain and sorrow and frustration?”

But the great implication of the event of Palm Sunday—the implication that Paul speaks of in Romans 5:6-10—the implication that I hope you and I will fully grab hold of today—is that God truly does love us and has demonstrated that love to us in the most sacrificial way possible. The rock-solid proof of that love is the cross; and it’s the proof of that love that sustains our hope in even the most painful of trials.

As this passage shows us, we can say that if God loved us so much while we were His enemies, how much more we can trust in that love now that we are reconciled to Him!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now; I believe that you can divide Paul’s argument in this passage into two parts. So; let’s consider the first part together …

1. WHAT GOD DID FOR US WHILE WE WERE HIS ENEMIES.

Paul wrote in verses 6-8, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We all have heard stories of great heroism—stories of people who have made the ultimate sacrifice to rescue and save people. We hear with humble gratitude the stories of first responders, or police officers, or rescue workers who gave their lives to save those in need. We also hear with grateful hearts of those who serve in our country’s military; laying down their lives to protect our freedom. Lately sadly, we even hear stories of teachers in schools who have unselfishly laid down their lives to protect the lives of their precious students. I think it’s something that we should have a kind of ‘humble pride’ about—that there are so many common, everyday people in our nation who are ready to lay down their lives so bravely to save the life of a neighbor in need. It’s a great sacrifice of love.

Paul doesn’t say that such a thing is impossible or unheard of. He says that it is ‘perhaps’ so that someone dare to die for a good person. It stands out when it happens because it is so unusual and remarkable. But that underscores the thing that Jesus did for us. He did not die for good people or worthy people. He died for people who were utterly unworthy. He died for those who were hostile to Him and in rebellion against His Father. He died for us.

Notice carefully what Paul says that we were. In verse 6, he says that we were “without strength”. That means that we were not only unworthy; but that there was nothing we could have done to make ourselves worthy. In Ephesians 2, Paul describes us as ‘dead in trespasses and sins’. A dead body cannot do anything to make itself alive or attractive or worthy. He also tells us in verse 6 that we were “ungodly”. We had no reverence toward God, nor any desire to seek Him or obey Him. In verse 8, he says that we were “sinners”. We had violated His Father’s holy commandments. And more—if you were to look ahead to verse 10—Paul also calls us God’s “enemies”. It may be that someone would die for a good person; but from the standpoint of a holy God, we were as far from being “good” as we could possibly be.

But notice then what Paul says Jesus did for us. In verse 6, we’re told that while we were still in this condition—that is without strength, ungodly, sinful and His enemies—Christ died for us. It may be true that scarcely for a righteous man someone would die; but as it says in verse 8, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. This is an act of love unlike what we see in even the most noble acts of humanity. Given who Jesus is, this is a love that is beyond anything in this world. It is a divine love that profoundly transcends the worthiness of the one being loved. It is a love that gives sacrificially for the utterly unworthy.

And note carefully when Paul says Jesus did this for us. Verse 6 tells us that it was “in due time”. This may reflect what Paul says in Galatians 4:4; where he tells us that “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son …” It was the right time in history. It was the right time for all the cultural elements to have been together. It was the right time in the redemptive plan of God for the ages. It was the right time of God’s prophetic order. But I think Paul means more than just that in our passage this morning. I believe it means that it was in the right time to demonstrate the profound depth of His love. As verse 8 reminds us, it was “while we were still sinners” that “Christ died for us”. As verse 10 also says, it was “when we were enemies” that “we were reconciled to God”. It could not have been on the basis of any worth in us; because, at the time, there was no worth in us.

And so then, finally, note what Paul says this all demonstrated. Verse 8 tells us plainly; “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It was only because of His love that the Father sent His precious Son to pay the penalty for us on the cross. It was only because of His love for us unworthy sinners that Jesus willingly gave His life on our behalf.

And this is the first great thing that we need to understand and appreciate about Palm Sunday. It’s a day when we commemorate the willing entry of our Savior Jesus Christ into Jerusalem—in complete obedience to the Father, and out of love for us—to submit Himself to the death of the cross for us. He did this when we were utterly unworthy; when we were utterly unlovable. He did what was necessary to reconcile us to Himself at the time when we were His enemies.

That should forever establish to us that God truly loves us. The cross is the truest demonstration conceivable of the depths of that unmerited love.

* * * * * * * * * *

But it’s not there that the love of God stops—that is, at the cross. That was only the very beginning expression of His love toward us in Christ. That’s where that love was objectively demonstrated to us for all time. We now need to take the implication of that love with us into the daily experiences of life—and even into the trials of troubles of life.

Paul goes on then, in verses 9-10, to stress to us …

2. HOW MUCH MORE WE CAN TRUST IN HIS LOVE NOW THAT WE ARE RECONCILED TO HIM.

Look at how Paul introduces this to us. In verse 9, he uses the phrase “Much more then …” He uses the same kind of phrase in verse 10; “much more …” And what Paul is doing is that he is arguing ‘from the greater thing to the lesser thing’. He starts off with the hard thing—that is that God would show His love toward us when we were His enemies by sending His Son to reconcile us to Himself; and then shows us that if that is true, “much more then” we can count on His love for us now that we are made right with Him. In verses 9-10 he writes, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 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.”

Look first at what Paul says we now are to God. In verse 9, he writes that we who have placed our trust in Jesus have now “been justified”; that is, all the charges against us have been dropped, He no longer finds any cause for condemnation in us, and He declares us to be as righteous in His sight as His own beloved Son Jesus. What’s more, in verse 10, he writes that we have been “reconciled” to God. That means that all causes for division between us and God have been completely removed by Him, and that there is no longer anything that stands in the way between us, and that we are now free to come to Him and enter into the fullest possible relationship with Him. We have no need to fear approaching Him; because He now fully accepts us. That is a far cry from being the strength-less, ungodly, sinful enemies of God that we once were.

And being brought into this new condition before God through the cross of Jesus, look at what Paul says God will now do for us. In verse 9, Paul writes, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” The “wrath” he speaks of is God’s wrath for sin. It’s something that Paul talked about in great length—and in horrible detail—in the first three chapters of the Book of Romans. In Romans 1:18, Paul wrote, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness …” That wrath is sure and certain to come upon this rebellious world; for as the Bible teaches us, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But we will be saved from God’s just wrath through Christ. And do you know what this means? It means that whenever you and I may suffer times of tribulation and trouble in this world, it is never God’s wrath. It is always only His loving discipline—training us to be more like His Son.

And more; in verse 10, Paul says, “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.” The life Paul speaks of here is not the life Jesus lived when He walked on the earth. Rather, it’s the life that came after His crucifixion—His resurrected life. As Paul puts it in Romans 6:4; “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” We live a new life with Jesus—the resurrected life! And more; we also have the expectation of our bodies being literally raised from death; because as Paul says in Romans 6:5; “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

And finally, notice by what it will be that Paul says all this will be done for us—or better still, “by Whom”. In verse 9, Paul writes, “we shall be saved from wrath through Him” who shed His blood for us. And in verse 10, he writes, “we shall be saved by His life” who died for us. It is all done for us by our union with Jesus—the one who lovingly came to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and set into motion the events that led to Him giving His all for us in love while we were still sinners. No wonder Paul would say in verse 11; “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

So; do you see the implication of Palm Sunday? It was when God established to us that He truly loves us. His love for us didn’t depend upon our worthiness; because He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins while we were still sinners—completely unworthy of that love. And that means that now we are reconciled to Him—now that we are fully justified in His sight—now that we are his full sons and daughters by faith—“much more then” can we now trust ourselves to His love today.

No matter what happens, we can know that God loves us. And this assures us of the certainty of our hope. Paul put it this way at the end of Romans 8—in words that are truly some of the most magnificent we could ever hear:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).

But remember: all of this is only true of those who have personally embraced this act of love and have placed their faith in the cross of Jesus. What a horrible thing it would be to hear of this great sacrificial love demonstrated to us on Palm Sunday—to read of all that God has given to make it possible for us to be made right with Him through the cross of His Son Jesus—to be given the invitation to receive that gift of love by faith—and then to say, “No. I’m not interested.” What would be left, then, but the just wrath of God that He graciously offers to deliver us from?

I hope that, on this Palm Sunday—this first day of Holy Week—you will make sure you have fully accepted the gift of God’s love demonstrated on the cross. Then you can rest assured that, if He loved us so when we were sinners, “much more so” does He secure us in that love now that we are reconciled to Him.

EA

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