The Ultimate Valentine's Gift
Text: Rom. 5:1-11
Introduction
1. Illustration: If yesterday is like Valentine's Days of the past, over $1 billion was spent on chocolate, $1 billion on cards, and 218 million roses were sold in the pursuit of or in an attempt to demonstrate love. The Bible tells us that God sent the first Valentine. He showed what true love is. He demonstrated His love for you and me over 2000 years ago when He sent His One and Only Son to pay the price for your sins and mine. Listen, God didn’t just love you enough to tell you about it. He didn’t just love you enough that He settled for having it written in the clouds by angels in flaming chariots. He didn’t love you enough that He stopped at sending you a love note, or a card, or calling you, He loved you enough that He sent His Son Jesus Christ. You see, when it came to demonstrating love, FTD was not fragrant enough, chocolate was not sweet enough, and Hallmark couldn’t find the words to set you free.
2. When it comes to Valentine's gifts Jesus showed us...
a. The Perfect Gift
b. The Most Practical Gift
c. The Most Unexpected Gift
3. Let's stand together as we read Rom. 5:1-11
Proposition: Jesus showed us the greatest gift of love when he died on the cross for us.
Transition: The gift that Jesus gave us is...
I. The Perfect Gift (1-2).
A. Undeserved Privilege
1. How many of us, especially the men, at Valentine's Day are scratching out heads trying to think of the perfect gift to give our sweetheart? We know that if we don't get them something we're going to be in trouble. If we give them flowers it's going to cost us a small fortune because all the florists hike the price of flowers for that day. If we buy them chocolate's they're going to say we are trying to make them fat. So what's the perfect gift?
2. Paul points out that Jesus knew the perfect gift to give. He said, "Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us."
a. The phrase "made right" is a forensic term meaning “to make or establish as right, to judge” or “to execute justice” (The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Delta-Epsilon).
b. It is usually translated "justified," and the best way to understand this term is "just as if I'd never sinned."
c. By accepting by faith what Jesus did for us on the cross it makes it as if we never sinned. Paul tells us the benefits of this being made right, and begins with the gift of peace.
d. What Paul says "peace" he is not talking about an inner sense of well being, rather he is talking about a restoration of relationship with God.
e. As a result of what Jesus has done we are no longer enemies of God and subject to his anger (Johnson, Full Life Biblical Commentary, 724).
f. We are now friends, and even better, members of his family.
3. Then Paul shows how precious and perfect this gift is when he says, "Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory."
a. As result of peace with God we also receive the gift of undeserved privilege, or grace.
b. The privilege or grace he is referring to is access to the presence of God.
c. For the Jew this would be understood as the heavy curtain in the sanctuary, that separated the people from the presence of God, had been opened.
d. For the Greek this would have suggested the royal court. A person could only gain access to the king through his favor or grace.
e. The favored person would be escorted in into the kings presence through the aid of a royal chamberlain.
f. It was Jesus who led us into the presence of God by his death on the cross. Consequently we are able to have access to God and we can look forward to joyfully sharing in his glory (Johnson, 724).
g. This perfect gift not only gives us undeserved privilege now, but also future glory to look forward to.
B. Gift of Grace
1. Illustration: A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible: Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task, but he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rickey was very nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know."
2. At the cross Jesus gave us the perfect gift - GRACE!
a. Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
b. Grace is the perfect gift because it flows from the heart of God.
c. It is not something we could ever earn, buy or make.
d. It is a free gift that was given to us because God loved us more than we could ever imagine.
e. Through grace we are no longer his enemies, but his friends.
f. Through grace we are no longer strangers, but family.
g. Through grace we are able to live in the presence of God.
Transition: God gift to us is not only perfect, but also...
II. The Most Practical Gift (3-5).
A. Given Us The Holy Spirit
1. God's gift is above all practical. I'm sure that we have all gotten gifts that were heart felt, but horribly impractical.
a. Like a boat to the person who lives in a desert.
b. Like a parka for someone that lives in the tropics.
c. Like the hideous tie your aunt Martha gave you that is so far back in your closet that no one will find until the rapture!
2. God's gift is one for eveyday living. Paul tells us, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."
a. Talk about practical! If there is one thing that we all know for certain is that there will be problems and trials in this life.
b. So God gives us something to help us deal with these everyday troubles.
c. For a person living in the fullness of grace even suffering can be looked upon in a positive light. The word translated "rejoice" actually means "“to speak loudly” or “to boast” (The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Zeta-Kappa).
d. So what Paul is saying here is that we brag about our suffering.
e. Now before you think that Paul was a “few fries short of a happy meal,” there is a method to his madness.
f. To those living in grace suffering begins a process by which character is formed.
g. It actually starts a spiritual chain reaction. Suffering produces endurance, where we say, "that wasn't so bad; with God's help I can handle this!"
h. Endurance then produces strength of character, or literally "the quality of being approved."
i. This brings to mind the testing of gold by fire, or in other words endurance purifies our character. The end result then is hope (Johnson, 725).
3. Then Paul tells about the gift of God that is the most practical of all. He says, "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
a. Paul tells us that this hope will not disappoint us. The reason that he gives for this is "how dearly God loved us."
b. What Paul is referring to here is God's love being poured out on us, or more specifically down poured on us.
c. They way God shows this is by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit. This refers back to the prophecy of Joel 2:28-30, and is echoed by Peter in Acts 2.
d. It says that God will pour out His Spirit in the Last Days. The verb tense in the Greek signifies a present state that resulted from a past event.
e. So the impact of the initial outpouring of God's love has a daily impact on our daily lives and our future glory (Johnson, 725).
B. Poured Out
1. Illustration: Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it. Many Christians live in spiritual poverty. They are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, but they are not aware of their birthright.
2. The gift of the Holy Spirit is not only powerful but also practical!
a. Romans 8:26 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
b. When we don't know what to pray the Holy Spirit helps us.
c. When we don't know what to say the Holy Spirit gives us the words.
d. When we don't know what to do the Holy Spirit shows us.
e. When we don't know where to go the Holy Spirit guides us.
f. He is our source of power and strength.
g. He is our teacher and comforter.
h. He is the one that fuels us when we are out of energy.
i. He is our everyday power source.
Transition: Then there is...
III. The Most Unexpected Gift (6-11).
A. While We Were Still Sinners
1. While verse 5 talked of God's love for us in a very personal way, vv. 6-8 tell us that it is even more than that.
a. They tell us that it was a love of sacrifice. You will notice that each of these verses has some form of the word "die" in them. God demonstrated his love for us in a very real way in the death of Jesus.
b. This is because the death of Jesus represents the ultimate act and compelling proof of God's love.
2. Verse 6 of the chapter has always been one of my personal favorites. It says, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners."
a. Paul shows us a series of contrasts about the nature of "amazing grace." He begins by showing the contrast between what God gave us and what we truly deserved.
b. The cross was an extension of God's love to those who least deserved it, but those who needed it most.
c. The word translated "utterly helpless," is generally used in the New Testament literally to describe some degree of man’s bodily weakness and figuratively of his moral or spiritual inability.
(The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Alpha-Gamma,)
d. I love the face that Paul describes Jesus' death as occurring "at just the right time," because i know personally that if he hadn't reach out to me at "just the right time" that I wouldn't be here.
e. My life was on such a path of self-destruction that if it hadn't of been for Jesus I would not have survived. He reached out for me at my hour of deepest need and saved me from myself.
f. God's love for me was so amazing that he not only reached out to me in just the right way, but also at just the right time.
3. Now that Paul talked about our helplessness, he next talks about our unworthiness. He says, "Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good."
a. Now Paul is ready to proceed to his point. It was for "sinners" Christ died, for men who were neither "righteous" nor "good."
b. The contrast is between the tremendous worth of the life laid down and the unworthiness of those who stand to benefit from it (Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary – Volume 10: Romans through Galatians, 59).
c. This verse shows a contrast between God's love and human love. Our love is conditional, but God's love is unconditional. While someone might be willing to die for someone who deserved it, Christ died for those who least deserved it.
d. The highest expression of human love is when someone gives his or her life so that another person can continue to live. People are able to understand sacrificial love, even though it is rarely practiced.
e. This kind of sacrificial gesture is almost always dependent on a relationship that already exists between the one sacrificing (parent, sibling, spouse, fellow soldier) and the one benefits from it (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 597).
4. Then Paul really nails his point when he says, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
a. "Sinners" (hamartōlōn) includes everyone, for it means those who have "missed the mark," and that includes all.
b. The proof of God's love is in the gift of His Son. Some might die for a friend or a kind and good person, but Christ died for sinners who were at odds with Him.
c. Such is the character of God's love that anchors our hope. Our Lord died instead of us, taking our penalty, and in our place. His death was in our interest (The Complete Biblical Library – Romans-Corinthians, 83).
d. God’s love stands in stark contrast to even the deepest expression of human love because God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
e. Christ’s death is the highest demonstration of God’s love for us. While we were rebellious and rotten, Christ died for us so that we could come to God, find peace with him, and become heirs of his promises.
f. Christ did not die so that we could be made lovable; Christ died because God already loved us and wanted to bring us close to himself.
5. Paul then concludes his statement about the love of God with, "For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God."
a. What does Paul mean when he says that we were "enemies" of God?
b. The word may be used either in an active sense, hating God, or passively, hated of God.
c. The context favors the latter sense; not, however, with the conventional meaning of hated, denoting the revengeful, passionate feeling of human resentment, but simply the essential hostility of the divine nature to sin...The term represents the mutual estrangement and opposition which must accompany sin on man's part, and which requires reconciliation (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, , Under: "Romans 5:10").
d. We were enemies because we were rebels against God.
e. Because of Christ’s death, we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son. Because Christ’s death accomplished this, so his life—his present resurrection life—delivers us from eternal punishment and insures our salvation.
f. Knowing all that God has accomplished should cause us to rejoice. Paul has already told his readers that they should rejoice in sharing God’s glory (5:2) and in their problems (5:3).
g. Now he exclaims that they should rejoice in God. We rejoice in God because Christ took our sins upon himself and paid the price for them with his own death, instead of punishing us with the death we deserve.
h. Through faith in his work, we become his friends and are no longer enemies and outcasts (Barton 597-598).
B. Our Hour Of Need
1. Illustration: A wife woke up one morning and said, "Honey, I just had a dream that you bought me a new gold necklace. What do you think it means?"
"I don’t know, but Valentine’s Day is coming soon. Tuesday, you’ll know," He replied.
A few nights later, she again woke up after having a dream, "This time, I dreamed you gave me a pearl necklace. What do you think it means?"
"You’ll know Tuesday," He replied.
The night before Valentine’s Day, she again woke up telling him about her dream, "This time I dreamed that you brought me a diamond necklace. What do you think it means?"
"Honey, be patient. "You’ll know tonight." he said.
That evening, the husband came home with a package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it--to find a book entitled, "The meaning of dreams."
2. The fact that God gave the greatest gift of all to those who least deserved it comes as an unexpected blessing.
a. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT)
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus 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.
b. If Jesus had come to die for those who had always honored, loved, and served God it could possibly be expected.
c. If we had always lived by his word and worshipped him; we could understand it.
d. But God in his great love for us sent his only Son to die a criminal's death in our place.
e. His cross should have been ours.
f. His crown of thorns should have been ours.
g. The nails in his hands and feet should have been ours.
h. The beating that he took before he even got to the cross should have been ours.
i. Most of all, it wasn't after we got it all together that Christ did this for us, but it was while we were still sinners, enemies of God, that Jesus came and died for us.
j. Jesus death and resurrection is the greatest gift of love the world has ever known and ever will know.
Conclusion
1. When it comes to Valentine's gifts Jesus showed us...
a. The Perfect Gift
b. The Most Practical Gift
c. The Most Unexpected Gift
2. "The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "this is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love." (Joshua Harris, I Kissed Dating Goodbye: A New Attitude Toward Relationships and Romance).
3. How does your love compare to the love Christ showed you on the cross?
