# 7 (He was) showing God’s love for the unworthy
Romans 5: 8 ‘But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.’
The big problem with human nature is that we think because we are made in the image of God, we are worthy and deserving of salvation
Genesis 1: 26-27; Psalm 8: 4-6; Psalm 139: 13-16
But our text reminds us that although we were made in the image of God, human nature has become sinful and has made us unworthy and undeserving of salvation
Genesis 3: 1-7a
Jesus Christ did NOT suffer and die on the cross because we are worthy and deserving of salvation – NO!
He suffered and died on the cross because we are unworthy and undeserving of salvation
When the first man and woman rebelled against God their nature changed and since then all Mankind has become sinful, Genesis 6: 5 ‘The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil’
When we read that verse, we may be tempted to think “Oh, back then people were uncivilized and uneducated but today modern Man is civilized and educated; we are so much better now – we have come a long way
Sorry. No. We may be more civilized and educated now but human nature has not changed for the better – at the very core of our being our nature is till sinful
When me and Jennifer are talking together about what’s happening in the world these days I will say to her, “the world has gone mad!” - but the truth is, since Adam and Eve, the world has always been mad!
Solomon said, Ecclesiastes 9: 3b 'twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course’
Jesus said, Mark 7: 21-22 ‘For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.’
The Apostle Paul talked at length about the sinful nature of ‘fallen’ Man(kind)
Romans 3: 9b-18 ‘all people...’
Genesis 8: 21b; Jeremiah 17: 9; John 3: 19b
The Apostle Paul went on to say Ephesians 4: 18 ‘Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.’
Please notice that Paul said, in our sinfulness we ‘against Him’! And in another place Paul said, Romans 8: 7a ‘the sinful nature is always hostile to God’ and that our will is, Romans 8: 8a ‘under the control of their (our) sinful nature’
Romans 1: 21a CEV
Yes, in our sinfulness we are unworthy and undeserving of salvation
So, what was Jesus doing on the cross?
He did NOT suffer and die on the cross for the worthy – He suffered and died on the cross for the unworthy!
And here’s the Good News - Even while we were unworthy and undeserving of salvation God set His love upon us to save us
Ephesians 1: 4a-5a ‘Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us...God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ’
And, Ephesians 2: 1-5 ‘Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)’
Consider this, if as Paul says, Romans 8: 7a ‘the sinful nature is always hostile to God’ and, Romans 8: 8a our will is, ‘under the control of their (our) sinful nature’, and, Romans 3: 11b (says) ‘no one is seeking God’
Galatians 3: 22a
How then do we come to Christ if our sinful self does NOT want to come to Christ? - It’s a massive problem isn’t it!?
Despite our natural hostility towards God, and despite our unwillingness to seek Him, in His great love towards us He overcomes our hostility and unwillingness and draws us to Christ; as Jesus said, John 6: 44 ‘For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up.’
The word that Jesus used here - ‘draw’, in the original language that Jesus used, means to ‘grab and drag’
The same word is used in John 4 to describe drawing water from a well, John 4: 7a ‘A woman of Samaria came to draw water.' NKJV
Now think about the water in the well - How are you going to get that water out of the well?
The water is down deep in the ground
Maybe you could try talking nicely to the water and entice the water to come to the surface by saying something like this, “Come on water, come up to the surface, it’s really nice up here, it’s much better than down there in that nasty dark hole in the ground”
No, it won’t work, the water is uncooperative - it won’t come up to the surface by itself
To get the water out of the ground and up to the surface you have to drop the bucket into the well, ‘grab (it) and drag (it)’ to the surface
“So, Pastor David, does this mean that God forces us against our will to come to Christ!?”
No. As the Westminster Confession of Faith says – (Excerpt from Chapter 10), ‘He (The Father) draws us powerfully to Jesus, but also makes us willing to come so that we come freely.’
I really like how the Apostle Paul described how God drew him to Christ, Philippians 3: 12b ‘I am apprehended of Jesus Christ.’ KJV
How did the Lord ‘apprehend’ Paul and make him come to Christ willingly?
The Lord appeared to Paul as he was on his way to persecute the Christian believers in Damascus, Acts 9: 1-9
Then the Lord sent Ananias to Paul to explain to him the ministry that the Lord had for him, Acts 9: 10-18a
Then Paul responded to the Lord and began to serve Him, Acts 9: 18b-20 ‘Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”
In his letter to Timothy, Paul talked about his conversion experience
1 Timothy 1: 13 ‘I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people.’
1 Timothy 1: 15 –16 ‘Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (He didn’t say ‘to save the worthy’)—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Jesus Christ could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.’
What Was Jesus Doing On the Cross?
(He was) showing God’s love for the unworthy
Are you saved – have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Receive Him today – do it now!
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