Sermon: "The Reckless Love of God: Romans Part 17" Pastor Brian Fuller

Hi, and welcome to the Sermon Podcast of First Baptist

Church Woodlawn in Woodlawn, Illinois. I'm Senior Pastor Brian Fuller,

and it is our desire to impact the world with

the Gospel of Jesus. We do so through small group ministry,

personal testimony, as well as corporate gatherings.

You can find us on Facebook.

YouTube, and our website FBC Woodlawn dot org. Join us

now as we hear from God's Word.

Well, we're in Romans.

Going through this very important book letter that Paul wrote

to the church in Rome. And today we're looking at

a few verses in chapter.

Five, verses six, seven, and eight.

And I've titled today's message the Reckless Love of God.

And I know that's the name of a song, but

it's pinpoint in a way it fits today in this message,

the Reckless Love of God. If you have your Bibles

turned to Romans chapter five, and let's look at those.

Three verses, verses six, seven, and eight.

For while we were still weak at the right time,

Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die

for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person,

one would dare even to die but God shows his

love for us in that, while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us. Lord, we thank you for this

day once again. Lord, Your word is powerful.

Lord.

It cuts to the innermost places.

Of who we are. And I pray today, Lord, that

you would be revealed in your word, and Lord that I.

Will speak it clearly. Lord, as you have given direction

in Jesus name. Amen.

Well I if we if I were to give a

theme to the Book of Romans, we could say that

Romans reveals God's judgment against sin while revealing his grace

and mercy to save through the death, burial, and resurrection

of Jesus Christ. And I recently heard a pastor, pastor, teacher,

author Matt Chandler. He said this about another book of

the Bible, but it certainly applies.

To Romans, he said.

He said, this book was not written to us, but

it was written for us. And Paul wrote the Book

of Romans. Actually, it was a letter to the Roman

Church to address issues of specific.

Concern in a church that included both jew and.

Gentile and the tension that existed between them, issues that

still exist in churches today. That's why I say that

this was written for us. So so we can count

on the word of God to apply in every evangelical

church all around the world, as long as there are

people involved who wrestle with grace and legalism and other

issues in scripture. And I think that that maybe not.

But maybe we've all pondered what it would look like

if we were asked to give our life as a

sacrifice so somebody else might live.

Pond you ever pondered that before?

Is that something that has ever crept into your thinking before?

Maybe our spouse, maybe.

Our kids, our grandkids, maybe are our close friends.

As hard as it would be to actually do that,

but for those whom we love the most, those whom

we do life with, maybe we could somehow muster the

courage and the faith, and.

If necessary, the obedience.

To die in the place of someone else. And obviously

we hope that that life never comes to that. But

what did Jesus say in John fifteen and verses twelve

and thirteen.

He says, this is.

My commandment that you love one another as I have

loved you. And greater love has no one than this,

that someone lays down his life for his friends.

So we'll agree that our example of love is God's

lif for us, as shown through his life and through

his sacrificial death and his burial and resurrection. Jesus he

put his words into action by not only saying greater

love has no one than this, and he lays down

his life for his friends.

But that was his.

One purpose in living right. His one purpose was to

lay down his life, to give it willingly and sacrificially,

so that we might believe we might receive forgiveness and

eternal life.

And he calls us to do no less, to love

one another.

As I have loved you.

So so what is the difference, if any?

In John fifteen the commandment that Jesus.

Gives to love one another with the willingness to lay

down our lives for others and Romans five, where Paul says,

perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die,

but God shows his love for us, and that we

while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In John,

Jesus is talking about our mindset. He's talking about our

commitment to one another in the body of Christ.

We do life together as the Body of Christ.

And for some people our spiritual family, our brothers and

sisters in Christ, our Church.

Family is all that some people have. In Christ.

We are God's family in Christ. We are friends of God.

Jesus says, you are no longer slaves, you are.

No longer servants, but friends.

And we know that Abraham's faith was counted to him

as righteousness and what the scripture say, and God called

Abraham his friend in.

John fifteen fifteen. This is what Jesus says.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant

does not know what his master is doing.

But I have called you friends. For all that I

have heard.

From my father, I have made known to you.

And there's something that I need that I want and

need to make very clear after saying all of that,

because some people can take that.

In their own context.

I'm not buddies with God, right, I'm not God's buddy.

My cousin Buddy is right here.

This is my cousin Clarence and his wife Valerie.

Well we know him as Buddy and he's recently retired

from pastoring the Faith Church of the Nazarene in Mount

Vernon and surprised to see you guys through today.

Great to see him.

I'm not buddies with Jesus.

Jesus calls me friend because of my right standing with

him through.

The work on the Cross.

I call him Lord, I call him Savior. I am

a servant of the most High God. He is the

one true God who created all things for his glory.

And I would never cheapen who he is and what

he has done and simply call.

Him my buddy.

All right, But because of the finished work of Jesus

on the cross, and through repentance and through receiving his

free gift of salvation, we now have the righteousness of Christ,

and he now calls us his friends.

Amen.

Romans five, Paul talks about who we were before Christ.

Before you were saved, you were I was ungodly. You

were weak and powerless, meaning that you were without God,

and you were certainly not his friend.

Because of sin, you were or are an enemy of God.

And there's nothing worse.

There's nothing worse than to be called an enemy of God.

But that is who we are.

That's what we are until we surrender, until we repent

and by faith believe on Jesus, And in that moment

we are no longer weak and godless, no longer slaves.

That called friends of God.

So let's go to verse six Romans five.

Paul says, for a while we were still weak at

the right time, Christ died for the ungodly, while we

were still meeting without God, while we were still without God,

at the right time, Christ.

Died for the ungodly.

We've established, And then we can say it again that

verse six lines up perfectly with the theme that we've given

Romans that Jesus.

Came to die in judgment of sin and to.

Make the dead in sin alive in forgiveness through faith

in Jesus.

Amen.

And Paul said, it happened at the right time. It

happened at God's predetermined time. That before he laid the

foundations of the world, before he laid the foundations of

the universe, God had already determined and the precise moment.

That Jesus would not only.

Enter the world, but the precise moment of of his

crucifixion as well.

It was never a plan. B.

And for whom did Jesus die. Paul says that he

died for the ungodly.

He died for his enemies.

Luke nineteen ten.

Jesus says, for the son of Man came to seek

and save the lost.

He didn't come for those who thought they were healthy, right,

he said, it's not the it's not the healthy that

need the doctor, it's the sick, meaning it's those who think.

They are healthy that need the doctor. It's those who

are sin sick.

The Pharisees, they thought they were okay, right, they thought

they were healthy. They had it all together, they had

all the answers. Jesus didn't come for them. He came

for the loss, the ones who were sick and sin

so undeserved that Jesus would die to save a sinner like.

Me and you.

And it begs the question again, would you give your

life for an evil person? Would you give your life

for an evil person?

Maybe someone just harmed your children or brought harm to

your spouse.

Would there be anything more offensive to you than that?

And if you were told, unless you take a bullet

in the head, this person who brought harm to your.

Family is going to die. But if you take the bullet,

he lived.

And I can't even fathom being put in that situation?

Can you.

To die so that any evil person might live?

But that's what Jesus did for you and me? But

that's verse eight.

I don't want to miss verse seven.

Look at verse seven, for one will scarcely die for

a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person one

would dare even to die. So for just a moment,

forget about taking a bullet for an evil person? Would

you do it for an honest person?

Would you do it for someone who was uprights and kind?

Warm hearted?

Would you do it for such a person like that?

And I would say that there are many more reasons

to die for a good person than for a bad person.

Right, kind of an easier choice.

Still not easy, Still seeming impossible that Paul says that

perhaps for a good person.

One would dare even to die, And in our.

Eyes we still see or think that a good person

doesn't deserve to die. The amplified version of Scripture uses

the word extraordinary in verse seven.

Now, it is an.

Extraordinary thing for one to give his life, even for

an upright man. So to be put in a position

to be asked to die for a good person is extraordinary,

highly unlikely. And I think I would even say that

it's safe to say that we would be reluctant to

do so.

Can I be honest?

Would you be reluctant to die to give your life,

or even somebody who was uprighting, godly, maybe in a

moment of perfect faith and grace moving in our lives

in a powerful way, we'll say, yeah, I do that, really,

And I'm not running to be the first in line

to give my life for anyone except for my wife,

for my kids, for my grandkids, for you. We're family, right,

I think I would do that. Verse eight starts with

before you put it up there, Joel. First two words

of verse eight, well, the those two words that change

the whole dynamic, two words that always change the whole

trajectory of our life, and.

In other places in scripture, two words but God, but.

God and for us. The thought of dying for an

evil person is just it is just crazy cookie talk,

because in our eyes, an evil person deserves to die,

and so even to die for a good and upright

person is not very likely. In verse eight, let's look

at it. But God, but God shows his love for us,

and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for

us while we were still weak, evil and ungodly, while

we were still enemies of God, while we were still

bound in sin and on the path of destruction, while

we cussed in his face while.

We were still sinners.

Christ died for us.

Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God. Oh

it chases me down, fights till I'm found, leaves the

ninety nine.

I couldn't earn it.

I don't deserve it.

Still you give yourself away, Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless.

Love of God.

When I was your foe. Still your love fought for

me when I felt no worth. You pay it all

for me. You have been so so kind to me.

Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God.

Oh it chases me down, fights till I'm found and

leaves the ninety nine.

And I couldn't nerd it. I don't deserve it. Still

you give yourself.

Away, Oh the overwhelming, never ending reckless.

Love of God.

I think you need to sing that with me, Oh

the overwhelming sing it, never ending reckless.

Love of God.

Oh it chases me down, fights till I'm found, leaves

the ninety nine.

I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it. Still

you give yourself away.

Oh the overwhelming, never ending reckless love of God.

Thank you, Jesus, Thank you Jesus.

You didn't know him you didn't want to know him,

but he gave his life for you. Even while you

were or still are lost in sin, the overwhelming, never ending,

reckless love of God.

Has been has been poured out for you.

God is in pursuit of you, a sinner still lost

in sin. God is in pursuit of you. He leaves

the ninety nine that are doing okay. As the great shepherd.

He has the flock, the sheep in his care and

those who are doing okay. But if one is lost,

he leaves those who are doing okay to find the

one that is lost. Even while you're a last sinner,

God has shown, and he has clearly proven to us

that while we were no good, while we were ungodly,

that He loves us completely. He loves us, and he willingly.

He stepped up. Jesus stepped up and said, okay, I'll

do it. I'll take the bullet in their place. That

is the love that is incomparable. That is the love

of God that is unrivaled. That while we were still sinners,

that Christ died for us. That's the reckless love of God.

Let's pray God.

Our hearts are full.

Full of thanksgiving at the thought of the sacrifice the pursuit. Lord,

you have for us as lost sinners, dying for us

even while we were ungodly. You died on a cross

to take the penalty of sin upon yourself, so that

we may be freely forgiven forever and restored to a

holy God, with the certain hope of spending all of

eatern be with you.

Thank you, Lord.

It's a wonderfully glorious thought that we have. Forgive us,

Lord for taking it for granted. Forgive us, Lord for

belly aching and complaining when things don't go our way.

So Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus, that

you would have your perfect way this morning. For those

who are lost, Lord, they would be found in Jesus.

For those who have been running from you, Lord, they

would stop and turn around and say, yes, Jesus, here

I am.

You are the Son of God.

You came to die on a cross, and you rose

again in victory over the grave, and I surrender my.

Life to you. Thank you, Lord, Thank you Lord, in

Jesus' name, Thank.

You for tuning in to today's broadcast. We hope you

are encouraged and challenged by the preaching of God's word.

You can Reach us by phone at six one eight

three nine zero ten forty six. Contact us via Facebook

or our website FBC Woodlawn dot org. It's our prayer

that you answer the call of God on your life

to follow him and share your faith story with others.

Goodbye for now, and God bless you.