FIVE THINGS GOD DOESN’T KNOW
Romans 8:32
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I heard about this kindergarten teacher. She wanted to teach her students about self-esteem. She said to her class "Everyone who thinks you are dumb, please stand up."
2. She didn't think anybody would stand up, but in just a moment little Johnny stood up. She didn't quite know what to do. She said, "Now Johnny do you really think that you're dumb?"
3. He said, "No Ma’am, I just hate to see you standing there all by yourself."
B. TEXT
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?’ Rom. 8:32
C. ILLUS. & TITLE
1. One day the astronomer, Mitchell, was busy making some observations of the sun, and as it descended toward the horizon, just as it was setting, there came into the rays of the great telescope the top of a hill 7 miles away. On the top of that hill there were a large number of apple trees, and in one of them were two boys stealing apples. One was getting the apples and the other boy was making sure that nobody saw them. The “lookout” appeared confident that they were undiscovered.
2. But there sat Professor Mitchell, 7 miles away, with the great eye of the telescope fully upon them, seeing every movement they made as plainly as if he had been under that tree.
3. We assume the same thing. Just because WE don’t see the eye that watches with sleepless vigilance, we think our words & actions aren’t seen. [“The Telescope,” Knights 3000, p. 623]
4. One of the attributes or characteristics of God is omniscience, He is all-knowing, He knows everything. Yet, I can think of some things that even God doesn’t know. We’re going to look at 5 of them. First...
I. GOD DOESN’T KNOW A SINNER HE DOESN’T LOVE
A. THE PROOF OF GOD’S LOVE
1. The Bible tells us that Jesus died for "All" men/women (“One died for all,” 2 Cor. 5:14-15; “wants all people to be saved,” 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10; “justification...for all people,” Rom. 5:18; “He is the atoning sacrifice...for the sins of the whole world,” 1 Jn. 2:2; also 2 Peter 3:9).
2. Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" John 15:16. The proof that Jesus loves every person is that He lay down His life for every person.
B. HE LOVED US AT OUR WORST
1. Think how wonderful it is that God loved us when we were at our worst! Paul said, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8.
2. Think of the most evil time you’ve ever been in your life. Amazingly, God loved you then! If He loved you then, wouldn't He love you more now?
C. ILLUSTRATION
1. Max Lucado told the fictional story of an angel trying to find another way for salvation.
2. “He looked around the hill and foresaw ...three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind.
3. Men clad in religion stood off to one side…Arrogant, cocky. Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill…Faces tear-streaked.
4. All heaven stood ready to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command. ‘It must be done…,” he said, and withdrew.
5. The angel spoke, “It would be less painful if…” The Creator interrupted softly. “But it wouldn’t be love.” [Max Lucado, ‘In the Eye of the Storm’]
6. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” Jn. 3:16. Secondly...
II. GOD DOESN’T KNOW A SIN HE DOESN’T HATE
A. NO COMPROMISE
1. If I said the word “SIN,” most of us would NOT think of anything WE do, we’d think of what someone else does. No sin is "okay" with God.
2. I've been told, "God and I have an agreement" (ie. – “compromise"). No, God doesn't compromise about sin. Go ask John Walsh if he wants to compromise with child molesters!
B. EVEN “SMALL” SINS ARE UNDER GOD’S CURSE
1. There are no big sins and little sins. Some sins are more damaging than others, but to God there's no gray area of sin. It's either black or white; it's a sin or it's not a sin.
2. James said if you keep the whole law but violate one point you brake the whole law. (“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”) James 2:10.
3. Some people think that if they do the majority of things right that will get them into heaven. According to James this is clearly not true.
C. PROBLEM: WE’RE ALL SINNERS!
1. The whole world is in a terrible predicament: we've all sinned and broken God's law ("All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23). God loves the sinner, but hates the sin.
2. The modern attitude of tolerance of sin, like "Oh well, everybody sins," doesn't describe God's attitude toward sin. God has an unqualified hatred for sin. It is hateful in His sight.
D. SINS DEFILES THE “HOUSE” IT’S IN (Zech. 5:4)
1. Although God loves all sinners (as regards His desire for their salvation) the Bible clearly shows that sinners will who remain in their sins fall under God’s judgment & punishment after this probationary life.
2. Sin ends up defiling the person who commits it. The Bible says, "With Him [God] the wicked cannot dwell" (Psalm 5:4; Pr. 6:16-19; Zech. 8:17). Because God hates sin, He won’t let unrepentant sinners into Heaven! The third thing God doesn’t know...
III. GOD DOESN’T KNOW ANY WAY OF SALVATION EXCEPT THE WAY OF THE CROSS Only the God-Man, Jesus Christ, could be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
A. ONLY AN INFINITE GOD COULD BEAR INFINITE SINS
1. No other human could ever qualify. "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him -- the ransom for life is costly, no payment is ever enough" Psalm 49:7.
2. The finite nature of man makes it impossible that he could bear sin for others. Only an infinite God could bear the infinite number of sins committed since the foundation of the world. That’s why Jesus alone could bear it.
B. ONLY A HUMAN COULD REPRESENT US
1. Ezekiel 22:30 tells how God must be impartial in His judgment. He, as God, can’t right our wrongs.
2. Only a member of the human race could act as our Representative, as our Champion, to turn back our evil choices to righteousness by His obedience and sacrifice.
3. “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man” 1 Cor. 15:21. The phrase “for since” sets up a causal relationship between the two phrases; one event necessitated the next.
C. ONLY THE GOD-MAN COULD DO IT
1. Only Jesus as God could bear our sins and only Jesus as Man could substitute for us. That's why only Jesus could ever perform the great work of Redemption.
2. What’s the 4th thing God doesn’t know?...
IV. GOD DOESN’T KNOW ANY WAY MAN CAN SAVE HIMSELF
A. NOT BY “GOODNESS” OR HUMAN EFFORTS
1. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews – ALL believe that they will go to heaven because of what they DO. The Bible clearly teaches that there’s NOTHING YOU CAN DO can change the sinful nature that’s in your heart. As the Message Bible says, “...No human being can please God by self-improvement,” Gal. 2:16.
2. But, thank God, God sent His Son to do what you & I could never do. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He lived a perfect human life. He died for OUR sins, not His own. Then He rose again as vindication of His acceptance by God. And He sent His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and change us from the inside out.
3. If there had been any other way, God would NOT have sent His Son to die. Would He pay the greatest price if a lesser price would suffice? God knew of no lesser price.
4. Paul said that if there was any other way, then "Christ died for nothing!" (Gal. 2:21), meaning "needlessly."
5. Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
6. When Jesus died on the cross, His dying word was “tetelestai,” a word which was stamped upon Roman tax receipts and meant, “PAID IN FULL!” YOU CAN”T pay any part of your salvation, because Jesus has already paid it in full!
B. GOD’S ONLY PROVISION
1. Only the death of God’s only Son was sufficient to outweigh the enormous mountain of sins of the human race. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father except through Me” Jn. 14:6. Jesus is the only One who died for our sins!
3. If we trust in Him, God promises to make a great “double switch!” Our sins will be transferred to Jesus and His righteousness will be transferred to us (2 Cor. 5:21)! What a marvelous hope we have in Christ! The 5th thing God doesn’t know is...
V. GOD DOESN’T KNOW ANY TIME BETTER TO BE SAVED THAN TODAY
1. He says, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa. 1:18.
2. He says: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” 2 Cor. 6:2.
3. To God, TODAY is the day you’re supposed to get right with Him. Tomorrow may never come; right now is only for-sure chance you have to get right with God.
4. God doesn’t know of a better time for you to come to Him than now.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Wayne Cordeiro, a preacher in Honolulu, told about how some people in their church gave him & his wife a dinner certificate to an expensive restaurant worth $200. They said, “Wow, $200! Let's go for it.”
2. They dressed up in their best clothes, got their car washed and waxed, put on cologne & perfume and went on their special date. They were so excited. They arrived at the ritzy restaurant and were given a candlelit table overlooking the moonlit bay there in Hawaii.
3. They thought, “Hey, we’ve got $200! Let’s splurge!” So they ordered the most expensive things on the menu. It was wonderful.
4. When the bill came, Wayne said, "Honey, why don't you give me the certificate." She said, "I don't have it. I thought you brought it." He said, "You have to have it. You're the wife!"
5. Wayne said, “We’re in deep yogurt! There we were: We looked rich, we acted rich, we even smelled rich. But because we didn't have that certificate, it canceled everything else!”
6. That’s the way it is in life. You can have the best and look good, but if at the end you don’t have THE CERTIFICATE of Christ’s imputed righteousness, you’ve forgotten the most important thing and you’re in for serious trouble!
B. ALTAR CALL
1. How many of you need that certificate of Christ’s forgiveness this morning?
2. Have faith in Christ alone and His sacrifice. PRAYER
[This is a rewrite of Wayne Searl’s, “Some Things God Doesn't Know”]
