But God

Turn with me, if you will, to the book of Romans in chapter 3, Romans chapter 3. This is a gospel meeting. If you've never been to a gospel meeting before, you might say, what does gospel mean? And for those of you who have been to gospel meetings before, you've no doubt heard it said that gospel means good news. So this is going to be a message of good news.

However, in order for something to be good news, there's usually something that's the opposite of it, bad news. So for instance, if you walked in to the doctor's office, the doctor told you, you have no cancer, you would say, great, I didn't have any when I walked in, I didn't think I had any. It's not really that good news.

But if you had cancer, and you walked in and the doctor says I have good news, there's no more cancer. It hits a little different, doesn't it? Because all of a sudden, you have realized that you had a problem, and that problem has now been addressed. So we're going to tell you the message of the gospel, which is good news.

But there's, unfortunately, some bad news that comes with this message. So read with me, if you will, Romans chapter 3, and verse number 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Drop down to verse 23. It says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Turn with me, if you will, to Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, verse number 12.

Romans 5 and 12 says, wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned. Romans 6 and 23. Romans 6 and 23, the wages of sin is death.

You said it was a good news message. So far, you've told us there's none good. You have told us that by one man sin entered into the world.

The Bible tells us we're all sinners, and now you just read the wages of sin is death. Not good news so far. But the rest of this verse says, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Now turn with me, if you will, back to Romans chapter 5 again, and verse number 7. Romans 5 and 7 says, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. One more reading, Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 4. Ephesians 2 and verse 4 says, but God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.

By grace ye are saved. Verse 8, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

All of us here, if we're honest with ourselves, we would all stop and we would say that we're pretty good at justifying ourselves. Not being justified, but justifying ourselves. We can paint ourselves in a good light, and if you don't think that we as a society or we as people are good at that, wait until you raise children.

Because what happens as soon as you start raising children, and they get to an age where they can talk and they can tattle on one another, one will come to you and will say, so and so did this, and that child in turn will say, no, no, what happened? It wasn't my fault. They did this, and that's why I did that, and all of a sudden we began justifying ourselves, or we try to justify ourselves, we try to paint ourselves in a better light than what it really is. We do this in our world today, as well as sometimes even when it comes to selling things in sales.

Maybe you'll see an ad in the newspaper that will say, car for sale, beautiful paint, radio works, air condition, wonderful. What they don't tell you is the transmission's blown, it won't crank over, and all the other issues that come with it. But on the face, we make it look better than what it is, and we do the same thing with ourselves when it comes to sin.

We try to make sin out to be something that it's not in our lives. We stop and we look at ourselves and say, yes, we are sinners, or yes, I have sinned, but then we justify ourselves and we look at it and say, but I am not that person, or I have not done this thing over here that other people are doing. Yes, I am a sinner, but you should hear the words that the kids at school use.

Yes, I'm a sinner, but you know what what my neighbor kid said yesterday? That kid, sinner, right? We justify ourselves and we paint sin, and we try to put makeup on sin to make it look better than it is. I thought this was maybe a good illustration of it. There was an advertisement years ago in the newspaper, and it was six words, and it started out, and it sounded wonderful.

It said, nice parachute, never opened. So far, it's checking all the boxes I want. And then it says, used once, nice parachute, never opened, used once, I don't want it.

And the same thing happens with us in our society, in our world, and if we're honest with ourselves before God, we try to justify ourselves before God. But God is very clear at how He views us. God looks down at us and He says, as it is written, this is the words of God, not what society might look at you and say.

Society might look at you and say, good person. Society might look at you and say, upstanding citizen. Society might look at you and say, that's a good kid.

You know, I had, I saw an interview where somebody was asking a man, he says, so you were telling me that only good people get to heaven. And he says, that's right, only good people get to heaven. But here's the kicker, there's no one good.

Only good people get to heaven, but there's none good. And tonight sitting in your meeting, this is what is it written, there is none righteous, no not one. There is none who understands.

There is none who naturally seeks after God. We have all gone out of the way, we have together become unprofitable, none good, no not one. It goes down further, and this is again through the lens of God.

This is the judge of all the earth, and the judge of all the earth will do right. And there is coming a day when each and every one of us will stand before a righteous and a holy God. And this is what he says of us as a society, as a group of individuals in our world.

All have sinned, and we fall short of the glory of God. He tells us in Romans chapter 6 that the wages of sin is death. Tells us in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12 that by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin.

When we look at ourselves and we acknowledge that before God we are sinners, we acknowledge we have an issue that we have fallen short of the glory of God. But many times when we think of ourselves, we go back to it, yes fallen short of the glory of God, but not that bad of a sinner. But God views us all on the same plane, and maybe tonight if I told you this story, if you haven't heard this story, but for most of you have grown up in a Sunday school, you've heard the story of the apostle Paul before he was saved.

And you look at that man and what he was doing. He was persecuting Christians. He was putting Christians into prison.

He was standing there and watching Christians being stoned. He was going after the church of God, and he was doing the thing that we would think most unthinkable. Here is a man that if you looked at him, you might compare yourself to him and say, compares to him, I'm God.

But God says as far as between him and you, there is no difference, for all have sinned. And so if between you and him there is no difference, and God views you in the same light as he viewed him, maybe the question that you have tonight is, how is there hope in this? You told us at the beginning of this that a gospel message is good news, but so far you've told me that I'm a sinner. I am condemned to die because that is the wages of sin.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And we could go a step further and we could take you to our Old Testament, and there it would tell us in Isaiah that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. So all the best that we can do to shine up this frame, to cover up our sin, God views us as worthless, as dirty rags.

Say, this does not sound like good news. This does not sound like a message of hope. But I'm so thankful for two words in our Bible.

Two words that are found in Romans chapter 5, and again in Ephesians chapter 2. Romans 5, it gives us these two words. We look at it, sinners before a righteous and a holy God, no hope. But then it tells us in Romans chapter 5, after it says that no one will die for a righteous man, perhaps for a good man some would dare to die.

But then it says, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, but God commendeth his love. What's commendeth mean? Maybe if you're sitting here tonight as a child, you go, that's a big word, but God commends his love. God proves his love.

God demonstrated his love. This is how he showed his love. For a good man, some might die, but God demonstrated his love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is good news. This is the message of the gospel tonight, that sitting in your seat, condemned a sinner, condemned to death, condemned to die, for the wages of sin is death. But then God says, but God demonstrated his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He said in Ephesians chapter 2, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, has made us alive, for by grace saved. This is the message of the gospel. Two words, but God demonstrated his love.

Is there a greater demonstration of love that has ever been shown? If you put it into Google, what is the greatest gift or act of love that has ever been shown? It will tell you about the man who built the Taj Mahal for his wife, and spent 800, in today's currency, 827 million dollars. And how many workers it took, and how many years it took, and he built this great place, the Taj Mahal, as a gift to his wife that he loved. And they say it was the greatest display of love, but my friend, they're wrong.

The greatest display of love that ever occurred was over 2,000 years ago, on a hill far away outside a city wall. The hill of Gaul, Gotha, the hill of a skull, and there came one who stepped into time, knowing what lay ahead of him, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, and despised the shame, and he went to the cross of Calvary, so that God could demonstrate or prove his love to you. And he sent forth his son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin.

And he became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we can be made the righteousness of God in him. That we can stand before God, truly justified, not us justifying ourselves, but God, through the death and burial and resurrection of his son, can justify the sinner that comes to him in faith. Because he demonstrated his love, and that while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for us.

Here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be a propitiation, a substitute for our sin. But it doesn't stop there. He says, not for our sins only, but for the sins of the world.

But God showed his love, and that while we were yet sinners, died for us. Tonight, I want you to understand one thing. You might say, I've heard the message of the gospel so many times, that maybe there are some in our audience that aren't even saved.

And if I asked you to come and stand beside me and say, tell us how a person can be saved, justified, made right with God, you could preach a gospel message. And yet you don't understand it, you've never entered into the good of it. It's one thing to know about it, and it's another thing to place your faith and trust in the finished work of the cross.

It's another thing to understand that there's only here and now when you can be saved. The Bible tells us that he has power on earth to forgive sin. And this is why we preach passionately, this is why we preach boldly, and this is why we preach with urgency.

Because if you step outside of this time and into eternity without God, no more hope. You cannot stand before God in a coming day and say, oh this is the one they were telling me about. This is the one who has power on earth to forgive sin.

This is the one who demonstrated his love. I see the marks of Calvary now, this is the one. Then it will be too late.

Our Bible tells us that he has power on earth to forgive sin. Not in eternity, on earth. But if you trust him on earth, he will keep you for all of eternity.

Never will he lose one who comes and places their faith and trust in the finished work of the cross. But God commended and demonstrated his love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I'm so thankful that the God that we proclaim to you tonight, the Savior of sinners, that he is a God who is long-suffering. That he is a God who is rich in mercy and grace. Can you imagine if he wasn't? Sometimes one of the criticisms in our world today when it comes to Christianity and to our God, they will say this, if God is real, how is there so much wickedness in this world? If he is really a God of love and mercy and compassion like you say, then why is there so much of this in our world? If God was not a God of love, mercy and compassion, and he was only a just God, there would not be a single one of us sitting here tonight.

Because the moment that sin would have occurred, we would have been removed. There would have been no opportunity to be justified and made right before God. No more chance.

But because he is a God of mercy and love and compassion, because of this, because he is willing to demonstrate his love, and he sent forth his Son to be made sin for us who knew no sin, to be declared legally right before God. I mentioned justification earlier in the day, and justification is a legal term, and it simply means to be made before God, legally declared righteous, legally declared redeemed, bought back with a price and not our own. And unlike our court systems today, when you might have Congress try to pass a bill, or you might have one judge give one ruling, and then two months later, an appeals court overturned the verdict.

When it comes to justification by faith through grace alone and Christ alone, once you are justified, there is no appeals court. There is never going to come a day when in eternity, all of a sudden, verdict overturned, guilty before God. Because the one who declares you righteous before him is the same one tonight who is offering salvation and forgiveness full and free.

I'm so thankful that when it comes to the message of the gospel, that it is not us doing something to earn it. Because if God was not a God of grace, mercy, and compassion, the children of Israel would have never made it out of that wilderness. Just look at them, how many times they turned against God, and they went astray, and they sinned.

Or look at ourselves in today's world, how many times we do the same thing. And God at any time could have looked down, and he could have said, that's it, had enough. I have showed to you, I have proven my love to you time after time, again and again.

And yet you don't listen, you don't heed, you don't turn, you don't repent, no more. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, sent his son to die. Sometimes you might sit here and say, I know the message of the gospel.

I know Jesus died for me. But because it's in the Bible, and because you heard it as a kid growing up, maybe your whole life, it kind of goes in one ear and out the other, and you don't understand the extent of the sacrifice that was made at Calvary's cross. So I'm going to give you a modern day story that kind of illustrates the same thing.

There was once a man who was a bus driver over in the mountains of Italy, and every day he would take his bus, and his route would take him up the mountainside through winding curves. And every night when he came home, as he would come into the town where he lived, right before he would get into town in a downhill descent, there was one last hairpin turn as he would turn and go into the town. And every day there would be a young lad, a young boy, who would sit on the gate right at the corner, right where this hairpin turn was, and he would wave, and the bus driver would honk, and the little boy would wave.

One day as his bus driver is making this descent down the hill, and he's coming down that last steep incline to make this turn, all of a sudden he realizes he's lost his brakes, no brakes. And he looks ahead, and there sits this little boy, and the man starts honking at him, but he did that every day. The little boy starts waving.

The man lays on his horn, and the little boy keeps waving. The man is trying to get him to move, and he doesn't move, and the man has to make a decision. Either I drive through this gate over top of this little boy, or I try to take this curve and probably kill everybody in this bus.

And the man made a decision, and he drove through that gate and killed that little boy. When first responders showed up, they showed up, and here was the bus driver sitting off to the side, his head in his hands weeping. One by one, people came to him, and you did the right thing.

You made the right decision. You saved the most lives. And officers tried to tell him, some medics tried to tell him, trying to comfort the man, and finally somebody walked over and said, no, you don't understand.

That little boy on the gate wasn't just a little boy. It was his son. Here in his love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins, but not for our sins only, but for the sins of the world.

But God demonstrated his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Without those two words, no hope. But I'm thankful that but God, who was rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, sent his son to be the sacrifice for sin.

Oh, would it be that tonight that you would understand the greatest sacrifice, the greatest display of love that was ever made, was made at the cross of Calvary. And would it be that tonight that you would understand, yes, the wages of sin is death, but if I could word it this way, but God's gift, but God, but God's gift is eternal life. How? Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.