Topic: The Kindness of God is Intentional
An unusual survey was done a few years ago. Participants in the survey were asked “What three-word sentence would you most like to hear or have said to you?”
The top three answers capture the heart of our needs and wants: “I love you,” “I forgive you,” and “Supper is ready!” That pretty much sums up our needs to be loved, forgiven and provided for.
The kindness of God meets our need to be loved, forgiven and provided for. Paul describes the kindness of God in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The idea here is that God demonstrated His amazing love by sending His Son to die for us. This shows us just how marvelous the love of God really is. In verse 6 we are told that "we were still helpless…" This means that we had no hope of redemption apart from Christ. Because of our sins we were separated from God. However, God Almighty, the very Creator of the universe desired to have a personal relationship with us that He purposely provided us with a great plan of salvation.
God's love was, and still is, "intentional" love. There are certain verses that prove this fact. John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” God sent Jesus to this world to save lost souls. Jesus willingly left the glories of Heaven to come and "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). We are those that were lost! Because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we were born into this world as lost sinners. Romans 6:23 tells us that the result of our sin or the "wages of our sin is death"! But through God's intentional love He has offered us a great gift. That gift is "eternal life through Jesus Christ."
God’s kindness is personal - "God demonstrates His own love toward us."
God’s kindness is unconditional - “while we were yet sinners."
God’s kindness is available - "Christ died for us."
Christ’s redemptive death is what reconciles us to God. God has already acted toward us and now He wants us to respond to Him. He has done His part, have you done yours? Salvation is available to you. I hope that you have trusted in Christ as your Savior. If you haven't, there is still time.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem