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Saving Grace

PRO Sermon
Created by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 20, 2025
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God’s love reaches us at our lowest, offering grace and acceptance not because we are worthy, but because He chooses to love us first.

Introduction

Some of us slipped into church today with a quiet ache that words barely touch. Some carry the weight of a week that felt longer than it should. Some bring a secret shame that still stings, a failure that still whispers. And yet here we are—together—hearts open, hands ready, longing for a word that heals, a hope that holds, a love that lasts. If that’s you, you are in good company. Because the God we gather to meet is not distant, detached, or disinterested. He is a Father who leans in and loves first.

There’s a line from Tim Keller that stops me in my tracks every time I hear it: "The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope." That reality is not a theory in a book or a slogan on a church sign. It is a living, breathing truth that beats at the heart of Christian hope. And it shines brightest in one verse that has mended a million hearts and lifted a million heads.

Before we read it, let me ask: When do you most need to hear "I love you"? When you have it all together, or when the tears are fresh and the mistakes are recent? When the room is tidy, or when the mess is right out there for everyone to see? The Lord knows the answer. And in the most breathtaking act in history, He put His love on public display, not after we had improved ourselves, but right in the middle of our worst moments. This is not a rumor. This is not a guess. This is God moving toward you. This is God refusing to look away. This is God speaking love in a language you can’t miss—the cross of Christ.

Some of us think God’s love works like a wage—you earn a little, you get a little. But grace is not a paycheck; it’s a gift, a glorious gift. And it changes everything. Grace draws us in when guilt drives us away. Grace steadies us when shame shakes us. Grace does what our best intentions cannot—it brings us to Jesus. If you feel like your failures have had the final word, take a breath. Mercy has a louder voice.

And this is the Scripture that carries that mercy straight into our hearts:

Romans 5:8 (NIV): "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

What a sentence. Short enough for a child to memorize. Deep enough for a soul to rest in forever. God demonstrates—He shows, He proves, He makes it plain. His love—personal, particular, powerful. For us—yes, us. For the ones who missed the mark. For the ones who knew better and still wandered. For the ones who keep promising, "Never again," and then falter. Into that very place, Jesus stepped. Into our sin, He brought His sacrifice. Into our weakness, He brought His willingness. If you ever wonder where you stand with God, look to the cross and listen to this verse. Love has already made the first move toward you.

So as we begin, would you unclench your fists and let this truth in? You don’t have to audition for a seat at the table. You don’t have to polish your record before you can pray. The door is open. The welcome is warm. The Savior is near. God moves toward us in love. Jesus died for us while we were sinners. And grace—lavish, life-giving grace—brings us to Christ.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank You for a love that does not wait for us to get it right. Thank You for proving Your heart at the cross of Jesus. Open our ears to hear Your kindness, open our eyes to see Your mercy, and open our hearts to receive Your grace. Where there is guilt, bring cleansing. Where there is fear, bring peace. Where there is weariness, bring rest in Your presence. Holy Spirit, make Jesus big to us today. Let Romans 5:8 move from the page into our bones. We ask this in the strong name of Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.

God Moves Toward Us in Love

"God demonstrates." That is how Paul starts the line. He does not say God hints. He does not say God feels. He says God shows. The word is active. It moves. It takes shape. Love is not left in the air. It takes on form so we can see it.

Paul even uses the present tense. He writes, "demonstrates," as in, He keeps on showing. The cross stands in history, yet its light reaches us right now. Each time you remember Jesus crucified, God is showing. Each time the bread is broken and the cup is shared, God is showing. Each time the Scripture is read and faith wakes up, God is showing.

This matters because many of us live by signs. We look for proof in the everyday. A call returned. A door opened. A word that fits the hour. God knows that. So He set a sign that does not fade with the seasons. He set a sign that does not change with our moods. He set a sign that can be seen from any place on earth. The cross is that sign.

Think about what a demonstration does. It sets something out in plain view. It removes doubt about intent. It says, "Here is what is true." The Father has done this with His heart. He has set it out where we can look at it. If you ask, "What is God like?" this verse points. It points to action. It points to a display that speaks better than any speech.

This is why Christians do not live by guesses. We live by what God has made clear. He has made His love clear by giving His Son. He has brought the unseen into the seen. He has put love into motion and kept it there for us to notice again and again.

"His own love." Those two words carry weight. This love is not borrowed. It is not copied. It rises from who He is. It carries His name. It carries His nature. It carries His will to do good.

Think of what makes love truly loving. It seeks the other’s good. It takes the cost. It stays when things are hard. It tells the truth that heals. This is how God loves. Holy. Wise. Patient. Strong. He does not slip into moods. He does not grow bored. He does not run out of mercy at the end of the week.

"His own" also means it is personal. The Father loves as a Father. With care. With attention. With knowledge of your frame. He counts your tears. He knows your fears. He knows the part of you that wants to quit and the part of you that wants to stand. His love meets you there with help that fits.

This love also shapes us. It does not leave us frozen in old ways. It warms cold hearts. It loosens tight fists. It teaches us to say "yes" where we used to say "later." It builds trust. It cleanses shame. It steadies the mind in the night.

And hear this as well. This love is not vague. The measure of it is the cross. Stretch your mind as far as it can go, and the cross stretches farther still. That is "His own love." Pure in motive. Sure in promise. Full in power.

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"For us." Small words. Huge news. Paul does not leave love floating. He brings it to our side. He says the cross was for people. For real lives. For sins with dates and names. For hearts that beat fast and hands that shake.

"For us" means no one has to stand far off. It invites a name. Yours. It invites a story. Yours. It invites all the parts you try to hide and all the parts you wish were bigger. Put them under those two words. They fit.

Look at the sweep of this chapter. A few lines later Paul even says "for enemies." That shows the reach. The circle is wide. The table has many seats. Old and young. Quiet and bold. Long-time church folks and first-time seekers. People with clean records and people with a trail of wrong turns. "For us" holds them all.

This changes how we pray. We do not knock with vague hope. We come knowing the door is open to "us." We ask for mercy that is meant for "us." We seek peace that is held out to "us." Faith grows when you see your place in that little phrase.

It also changes how we see each other. If the cross is "for us," then we carry one another with care. We forgive. We speak life. We refuse to throw away people God has welcomed. We live like people who share the same rescue.

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The timing is clear. The condition is clear. The action is clear. At the time of our sinning, the Son gave His life. In the face of our guilt, He laid Himself down. This is how the verse wants us to read love.

Do not rush past the word "sinners." Paul is honest about the human heart. We miss the mark in thought and deed. We swerve from the path. We harm God’s honor and we harm our neighbor. The law shows it. Our conscience nods to it. The wounds we carry and the wounds we cause tell the same story.

Into that story, Christ stepped with a cross. He did not come with a lecture alone. He came with blood. He came with a body that could be pierced. He came with a will to carry what we could not carry. "Died for us" means He stood in our place. He bore the weight. He took the curse. He answered justice with His own life.

This gives a firm ground under your feet. Feelings rise and fall. Days go well and then go poorly. This truth stays put. At a real time, in a real city, on a real hill, the Son of God died for real sinners. That act does not weaken with age. It does not fade with memory. It holds as strong today as the hour it was done.

And this is the deep comfort. If Christ died for sinners, then sinners who come to Him are not turned away. If Christ died for the ungodly, then the ungodly who call on His name are received. Forgiveness is not a wish. It is a gift paid for. Peace with God is not a dream. It is signed in blood.

Jesus Died for Us While We Were Sinners

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