Sermon Central
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God's Kindness Leads To Repentance Series
Contributed by James Goforth, Jr. on May 1, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: Exposition on Romans
God’s Kindness Leads to Repentace
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Now before we get into the passage, I need to tell you something, some bad news
God hates for you to eat greasy fat filled hamburgers
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God wants you to only eat grilled food <
and steamed vegetables, <
because God hates greasy foods <
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And what God hates the most is Burger King <
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Read Romans 2:1-5
Listen - If God DID hate greasy Hamburgers, would it matter WHERE you got them?
Is Wendy’s better McDonald’s? Is Burger King really Better than Steak and Shake?
Are any of them really better than White Caste’s?
If Greasy Hamburgers displeases God, then the Bigger question is, am I a better person if I eat at "Steak and Shake" instead eating at White Castles?
The Problem is that I LOVE WHITE CASTLES, so, how are you going to get me to change?
What if you made fun of me?
What if you told me simply how stupid I was?
What if you just stood on the street corner and called out to me?
How about if you became my friend?
What if you just hung out with me, even at WHITE Castles, but didn’t eat the horrible greasy hamburgers?
What if you began to tell me about the wonders of "Souper Salad"?
What if you continued to love me in spite of my rejection?
What if you took me to eat at "Souper Salad" and you paid?
What if I still went my own way and my arteries Hardened and my heart gave out and YOU GAVE your HEART for a TRANSPLANT to me that I Might LIVE?
Do you think I would change my eating habits then?
What’s my Point -
You Are Helpless and Hopeless without God.
No matter which burger joint you are eating from you are LOST WITHOUT Christ and are NO better off than any other.
Don’t Try to Cover your Own failure by pointing to the Sin of another.
READ Romans 2:4 again
Look at the 3 Important Words of verse 4
1. Kindness -
He loves you
Eph 1:5 -
Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him,
Eph 3:18,19
And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love -- how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God.
1Jo 4:10 -
This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in
sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins.
The same GREEK word for Kindness is found Luke when Jesus said
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
God displayed his kindness toward you and continues to do so in spite of the fact that we are evil and ungrateful people.
It is not the fear of an angry God that leads us to repentance.
It is not his ANGER.
You have NOT seen his anger.
His ANGER will burn.
His anger will burn in the ultimate judgment.
His anger will be poured out on the blasphemy of rejecting him.
But until then, it is his Kindness, his grace, his mercy that calls you back to a relationship with him
2. Leads -
He does NOT command you from afar.
He does Not throw down orders from his LOFTY throne.
Yes, he is High and Lifted up, but he also came down
Jer 23:23 -
"I am a God who is near," says the Lord. "I am also a God who is far away."
He is not a Cosmic Bullying Cowboy firing bullets at your feet saying "Dance Boy"
No - he left his throne
He submitted himself to the limitations and humiliation of human existence
Phil 2:6-11 -
6 Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. 7 But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. 8 And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death -- death on a cross. 9 So God raised him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name 10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus -- everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. 11 And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.
