“Something That Will NEVER Disappoint”
Romans 5:6-11
* Last week millions were held almost spellbound by the conclusion of the 108 US Open Golf Tourney. Tiger Woods verses Rocco (Who) Mediate. Talk about a David and Goliath show down! Tiger, the number one rated golfer in the world going up again Rocco, the 158th player in the world. As we know, Tiger prevailed but HE KNEW he had been in a match. For five days and 90 holes of Golf Mr. 158 matched #1 stroke for stroke. Then on hold 91 – Tiger did what Tiger does, He sank a 20 ft putt. Rocco missed his 18 footer. Admittedly, both men showed a great deal of class. Through the years Rocco Mediate has established himself as a good player, a consummate professional, and simply a great guy. But here is what I’ll ask today. Can you imagine the disappointment of coming so close and losing? At 45 years of age, he may never have that opportunity again. A pro expects to win and learns how to deal with the disappointment of loss. What do you know about disappointment? Has disappointment visited with you?
* Rocco will likely live to play another day. Ron Hutchcraft tells the story about his son’s disappointment: I was there the day my son’s dream died. Since he’d been little, playing big-time football had been his dream. If, as they say, biology is destiny - and him being my son - he was not destined to have a football player’s size. But he really worked at it, spent hours in the gym, he bulked up, he practiced with focus and intensity. And honestly, he was good at football; until the day when he went down in a driving drill with a badly injured knee. He had torn his anterior cruciate ligament - an injury dreaded by anyone in sports. One of the top sports med doctors in our area examined our son’s knee, and then he said those words that sounded like a death sentence to our boy: “You’ll never play football again.” I cannot imagine.
* Every person here has experienced disappointment on some level. Today people can look back over their lives and reflect on the disappointment found in their divorce. Candidly, the reason for the disappointment in divorce was the disappointment found in their marriage. People are disappointed in jobs, houses, vacations, & other people. People stay home from church services every week because they are or have been disappointed by something or someone. We can debate all the reasons for disappointment, but let’s focus our attention on something that will not disappoint.
* Turn with me to Romans 5. Two weeks ago we read and received a word from the word about the “Great Benefits” of knowing Christ. Today, Paul reminds us that it is only by God’s Love that we can become all that God’s intended for us to become. Verses 5-11.
* Paul says, “This hope will not disappoint.” It’s nice to finally think about “something” that won’t disappoint. The obvious question is, “What is the hope he talking about?” So we back up in the text and find the answer given. Hope comes from proven character which comes from endurance which is a child of affliction.” When we are “afflicted” (or got through struggles) because of our faith and we don’t bail out, but rather, we dive in, we learn spiritual endurance. Through this endurance we develop character and at this point we realize our hope and help for today is, in fact, in Jesus.
* The next question is this; “How or where can we find this hope?” Paul answers this with 3 little word; “because God’s Love.” Everything that will never disappoint you is because of God’s love.
* God’s love is beyond a mate’s love, a father’s love, or even a mother’s love. God’s love is all these and more. By the way, God’s love is “progressive.” No, He doesn’t love us more tomorrow than he does today, rather His love brings us closer to HIM tomorrow than today. His love progressively woes us to Himself. Let take a brief look at how God’s love leaves come to us & what it does in us.
1) The ‘Pouring out’ of God’s Love. Our text says God’s love has been poured out. Two weeks ago I attempted to paint a picture for you about pouring out or spilling out. When a glass of tea gets spilled on your Sunday table, it goes EVERYWHERE!! Every time I read this text I am reminded of Revelation 16 where the seven vials of judgment are “poured out” (same word) over the entire planet. Think about this; when something is “poured out”, you visualize emptying the dish. Those vials were flipped over and emptied. Looking in Romans 5, notice how God’s love is poured. First notice,.
a) The Container – God’s love has been poured out into our hearts. Don’t miss this; God has “shed abroad” or “poured out” ALL OF His love in our lives. Not just a portion of His love, but all of it. He has held nothing back, not even His one and only Son. The best part is this; our heart cannot contain all of it, so His plan is to fill us so full of His love that we spill over on everyone we encounter.
* How does He do this? Well, how does water, electricity, cable, the internet, and all the rest get into your house?
b) The Conduit – Look at the text which says, “Through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Don’t go out of here and miss this point. If you do, you will misquote me and worse, mislead someone else. The love God which has been poured out into “hearts” is into the “hearts” of believers. While His love is available to unbelievers (as we’ll see in a minute), He has given us the ability to receive or reject His love. Some of theologians might take issue, but read the Bible, watch people, and you’ll see it every day. God makes His love plentiful and people reject it, resist it, and replace it. To receive this love and hope which will not disappoint is to receive the Holy Spirit who is only available through asking Jesus into your life. When we truly come to know Jesus, the person of the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and it is through Him we receive the Love of God. He is the way, the person, and the conduit which we receive and know God’s love.
c) The Capacity – Every container has a ‘capacity’. A Pint, quart, gallon, 5 gallons, 55 gallons, or more, all have a specific capacity which they hold. Nowhere in scripture can I find that God’s has withheld any of His love. In fact, I find exactly the opposite, God gave His all. Our hearts cannot contain all the love which has been poured out. So what should happen? The same thing which happened in the first century church. God’s love should be spilling over the edges of our lives for all to see. This is God’s plan for us.
* God didn’t wait until we came to Him to pour out His love on us.
2) The Proving of God’s Love. Just exactly how did God prove His love for us? He sent Jesus. He gave Jesus. Have you ever thought about this? God didn’t ask Jesus to some, request a volunteer, or simply suggest Jesus come to earth. The Bible says, “God sent Him” and why, because of God’s great love. He proved it when;
a) Christ Died for the Ungodly. This is a quote from verse 6. Think about this, Christ died for those who have no respect, reverence, or belief in God. These are the ones called “fool” in Proverbs.
b) Christ Died for the Sinners. This quote is from verse 8. This verse slaps in the face those who believe that Christ only died for the select. Christ died for sinners & would that all come to salvation.
c) Christ Died for US (Me and You). The truth is something we don’t care to hear. I am just as sinful as one gets. Before I met Jesus, I was on my way to a place called hell, to be separated from the life and love of God forever. Had God wanted justice, I was doomed.
* Had He not been a God of Love, I had no hope. However, had NOT been a God of love, mercy, and grace, all of us would miss heaven and make hell because that is who we are. Last year we hosted Gordon Jensen in concert. One of his most popular songs speak in a very insightful way about this very subject; “I should have been crucified, I should have suffered and die. I should have hung on the cross in disgrace, but Jesus God’s son took my place.” You can see a beautiful demonstration of God’s love by looking at Calvary.
3) The Planning of God’s Love. – God’s love is not arbitrary because God is not the author of confusion or haphazardness. In all of creation, God has and had a specific plan of showing His love to us.
a) The Right Time – Verse 6 says, “at the appointed time” and Galatians 4 says, “at the completion of time” or better stated “at just the right time.” The timing of Jesus’ coming was prophesied, pointed to, and planned out in complete detail.
b) The Right Process – In God’s love there had to be atonement for sin. Death was required to pay for sin. In the Old Testament you will discover that sin by God’s people was dealt with by death. Striking or reviling a parent, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking, rape, incest, homosexuality, idolatry, and Adultery, are but a few of those sin requiring death. The righteousness of God confronted the sinfulness of man & the love of God put in play a process to redeem the sin sick soul. Someone had to die.
c) The Right Person – His name is Jesus, called the Christ. Because in Him, by His blood, through His death, God’s love reaches to each of us. He lived sinless and died for sin. His innocent blood paid the debt of a guilty man. God loved the world so much that He gave Jesus. (Galatians 4:4-5)
* This morning you heard Christy sing. When Deboria found out she was expecting a baby, we (like you), began to make preparations for the arrival. We attempted to make everything perfect. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it was well planned and wrapped in love. God plan is perfect. In fact, if you miss heaven make hell you go there over God’s dead body. Jesus died so I don’t have to, that’s God’s love.
4) The Power of God’s Love. Every time I write down or read about the “power” of God’s love, I am reminded of that hard driving song which was used for the opening of “Back to the Future”. I remember no other words except the hook which said, “That’s the power of Love.” In human terms love is that emotion which causes a mom to run in front of a car to save her toddler. It causes a man to run into a burning building to retrieve his family. It causes God in heaven to send His only Son to suffer and die for His creation.
a) It pronounces us Righteous – Verse 9 uses the words “declared righteous” and the KJV translates this word “justified.” The original word means to show or regard as innocent or to make right. As seen through the blood of Jesus we are perfect, pure, and holy. Because it is by His blood that our sins are forgiven. The secret is; to get under the fountain which flows from Calvary. There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains. For this reason “I wanna be washed in the blood of the Lamb.” “Are you washed?” Have you been declared righteous, been justified before God?
b) It proclaims us Reconciled – This means we have changed from enmity (I.E. enemies, problems, etc) to friends. As people apart from God we were helpless to be in a relationship with Him, but through the power of His love, HE initiated the plan for us. Reconciliation is never easy. When two people get crossed up, someone always must make the first move. I have observed many people who were great friends, family members, & even fellow Christian who got crossed up and NEVER were reconciled. Why? Pride. Neither person would take the first step and lay aside the hurt. Or their first step was getting the other one to admit HIS mistake. How sad. Do you realize that God has taken the first step for us? We committed the sin, God took action (kicked us out of paradise) & God has now taken the initial step for our reconciliation by sending Jesus. God’s love is powerful. We are reconciled through the death of Jesus and then SAVED through the life of Jesus. If Jesus is still in the ground, an argument can be made that He died for all sin. However, in His resurrection, we are given life that transcends the grave.
Something that will Never Disappoint – Pg
* The Bible asks, “O grave, where is your sting? And death, you cannot win it anymore.” Why? Because in the work of the cross we see the power of God’s love to change the inevitable. It is inevitable that sin produces death, both here and for eternity. The wages of sin are still death. It is inevitable. Through the love of God at Calvary, the inevitable is changed when we make a personal decision to believe in Jesus. What must I do to be saved was the question of the Philippians Jailer in Acts 16? Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Have you done this? If you have experienced God’s love in this way, there is one last thing you get.
c) It produces Rejoicing – Paul taught rejoicing was natural for all born again people. We are declared righteous in Jesus, we are reconciled to God by Jesus, and thus, we have every reason to rejoice. Paul tells the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, and I will say it again, REJOICE.” Why is this? Because we have been brought from death to life, from sin and shame to freedom and forgiveness, from punishment to paradise, from hell to heaven.
* This week I read something very interesting. Today, it seems that it is sometimes difficult to make sinners sad and hard to make saints glad. Wonder why that is? In Luke, Isaiah, and Romans, we read of joy, great, exceeding, exceedingly great, fullness of joy, and joy unspeakable (a joy which can only be experienced not expressed). The Love of God is the only thing which gives this kind of joy. Do you have this joy? Have you experienced this kind of love?
* I was fortunate to be a part of church music during the changing years of church music. From the truly traditional in the 60’s to the “Folk Music” of the 70’s to the gospel of the 80’s to the Praise and Worship of the 90’s and the Contemporary of this new millennium. Thinking back over this journey one of the very reasons for the revolution in our singing was the “joy”, the “rejoicing” the youth wanted to express in THEIR terms. In 1969, a man name Otis Skillings wrote a song entitled, “I’ve got a reason to sing” and the reason was Jesus. The lyrics were uplifting and a reminder that Jesus saved us. Later we sang that “Jesus NEVER fails.” Listen the joy of the Lord is ours because He never fails or disappoints.`
