Here’s my sermon outline from Romans 5:6-8, preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship (our church in Naperville). You can listen to the audio here.
Romans 5:6-8 “God’s Love Displayed”
Intro: How do we know that God loves us? What gives us the reason to believe that He loves us? When life is hard and difficulties keep piling on, and God feels distant to our hearts, how do we know that God loves us? When things happen we can’t explain and there are questions we can’t answer, can be sure that God loves us?
Today, hear from God’s Word: GOD LOVES YOU; Look to the cross and see his love on display!
We can know that God loves us because He told us He loves us and He has shown it very clearly in the gospel. This is the cure for our doubts. God really does love us; we can rest in that love and confidently enjoy our great God of love.
Context Review: We are in Romans, the book that is all about the GOSPEL.
-Gospel means good news; gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news from God about what God has done in Christ.
In Romans 1-4 Paul explains the gospel:
-we are sinners and guilty before God, lost and without hope (grim situation);
-God has acted in grace to save us through the death of Jesus Christ;
-all who place their faith in Jesus are saved and declared right with God (justified).
In Romans 5-8 Paul unpacks this wonderful new reality the gospel as created.
-The gospel is even better than we thought!
-We have peace with God; access to grace; hope of eternal life; joy in trials
-God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Today’s passage 5:6-8 continues the theme of God’s love. Here Paul helps us see the proof that God loves us. In a sense, Paul is answering the question: “How do we know that God loves us?” Answer: God has displayed his love for us at the cross.
-SHOW AND TELL… As a kid maybe we did show and tell.
In today’s passage it is TELL and SHOW.
First, TELL: we hear that God loves for us. Then, SHOW: See God’s love displayed for us at cross, where Jesus died for us.
I. TELL: God has TOLD us He loves us:God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.One way we know that God loves us is this: He has told us He loves us: –v 8“God shows his love for us”
-The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself; It is His love letter to the world, revealing His heart of love to us.
-Our feelings may deceive us, but God’s Word is truthful and never lies
-God, who is love, loves us! He loves His creation, and He has a special love for His own people.
-Isn’t it amazing that God loves us? This is foundation we can build our soul upon.
APP: Part of the cure of doubt about God’s love is just to listen to what God has said in the Scriptures. When you go through a time or season of doubt, fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word; hear that He loves you.
II. SHOW: God has SHOWN His Love for us BY A DEMONSTRATION
God has not only told us He loves us, He has shown it to us. God has gives us a demonstration of His love to see!
-LEGOS? If I went to your house you could show me your collection.
-God wants to show us something, He wants to show us that He really does love us.
1. The Death of Christ for Us is a Demonstration of God’s Love for Us(8b): Christ died for us.
The death of Christ for His people is a clear display of God’s love for us.
–Christ DIED for us -There is no greater display of love than giving one’s life John 15:13
-Death of Christ for us is tied to God’s love for us John 3:16
–FOR us
-Christ died for a people—for us!
-This was a purposeful death (to ransom us: Matt 20:28)
-He died as a substitute: PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT
-THIS KIND OF LOVE MARVELED AT EVEN IN SECULAR CULTURE
-Countless books and movies where the hero lays down his life to save the beloved.
-Green Ember Book Series: “Ember Falls”: Princess Emma willingness and Heather’s Love
SUMMARY: The very act of Christ dying for his people is evidence that God loves us.
APP: When you are unsure whether God loves you, look at the death of Jesus for you on the cross. See the fact of the cross and know that at the cross God displayed His love for you: Gal 2:20: “Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”
2. Our Situation when Christ Died for Us Also DEMONSTRATES God’s Love.
Paul wants us to see that is not only the fact that Christ died for us that God’s love is displayed, but the situation we were in proves and displays His love.
*LOOK AT THE “STILLS”
STILL #1: “Still Weak”: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (6)Christ’s Death occurred while we were still WEAK (6): MOO: “weak here designates that “total incapacity for good” which is characteristic of the unredeemed.” Paul thereby stresses that God’s love came to us when we were utterly helpless”
-We were UTTERLY helpless and weak, but God reached out in love to us.
–Ezekiel 16:1-7
-My step-dad when my mom was ill last few months of her life.
-We must see ourselves as “weak” and helpless:
-We are not Christians because we are smart enough or moral enough or strong enough. God saved us in our weakness.
-There is no place for looking down self-righteously on unbelievers. It only God’s grace that saves us.
APP: When you doubt God’s love, consider how God saved us when we were weak and hopeless. He saved you Christian in your weakness.
STILL #2: “Still Sinners”
God’s love came to us when we did not deserve it. It came to us while we were STILL sinners.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die– 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
-Consider how the Bible speaks of us:
-In contrast to secular humanism, we are not an accident of evolution.
-In contrast to popular secular thought, we are not basically good, but slaves to sin.
-“ungodly” (6)
-Unlike God, who is holy and pure (1 John 1:5)
-“still sinners” (8)
-Those who have broken God’s law (NCC 16)
-God’s law exposes our ungodliness and sin.
-COVID exposes our ungodliness and sin. (our attitude toward other side)
-We have to see ourselves as sinful/ungodly: we deserve HELL
-GOD’S love is seen in that it is extended to us as we did not deserve it.
-“SCARCELY” will one die for a righteous person….
-Some might “DARE” to die for a good person…
–BUT GOD! He goes beyond either of those & shows love by dying for us while we were still sinners!
-God love for us is displayed in that we did not deserve it, but He gave it to us!
MOO: “Paul’s argument summarized: a. Human love, at its best, will motivate a person to give his or her life for a truly “good” person (7) b. Christ, sent by God, died, not for “righteous” people, or even for “good” people but for rebellious and undeserving people (6) c. Therefore: God’s love is far greater in its magnitude and dependability than even the greatest human love (8)”
-God’s love is FAR greater in magnitude than the best human love.
-He loves us even in our sin and evil.
-God’s love is FAR GREATER in dependability than the greatest human love
-His love is not dependent upon us, but came to us when we did not deserve it.
APP: When you doubt God’s love, consider how Christ died for us while we were STILL sinners, STILL ungodly, STILL deserving of hell. Fix your gaze on that truth and beyond the wonderful love of God for you!
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD LOVES US?
1. He has told us He loves us: in the Bible, which is always true and never lies.
2. He has shown He loves us:
-We see it in the death of Christ for us.
-We see it in that Christ died for us while we were STILL weak
-We see it in that Christ died for us while we were STILL ungodly sinners.
