Judges 15 - Samson Avenges Himself on the Philistines

Judges 15

Then Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey,

Heaps upon heaps,

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have killed a thousand men.”

Message: Samson Avenges Himself on the Philistines

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: As I continue to study Joshua and now Judges, one thing that stands out is while God used these men and worked his will through them, many of the men he used were not necessarily men of piety that I am to emulate. It also makes sense that in the last 20 years, there have been biblical like TV shows chronicling these individuals and to good reason, they lived sordid lives. They had difficulty often with temptations from women that we have today. They did not stay true to God's ways but entered into relationships with people of the world. On one level, their imperfect ways is encouraging for me, for I am far from perfect. Somewhere in Joshua I recorded that certain leaders from tribes allowed the non-Israelites to remain in the land. 

The Philistines are one of those groups that remained. Samson's first wife, Timnah, was a Philistine, though he later abandons her. 

This chapter begins with a back and forth of fighting fire with fire. It starts with Samson approaching the abandoned wife, Timnah, bringing a gift of a young goat, and wanting to sleep with his wife. But the father intercedes with the idea, "That ship has sailed but I can offer her younger sister." Samson doesn't like that idea. He therefore plans an attack, grabbing foxes, torches between the tails, end to end, lighting fire to the torches and releasing the foxes to run and burn themselves and the all of the crops. Naturally, the people did not like this. They find out the reason for him doing this is vengeance toward his wife and her father for not getting what he believes is his. The Philistines then kill the father and daughter. Samson did not like that and responded by striking many people and then hid in a cleft of a rock (1-8). Samson's remark, "As they did to me, so I have done to them" (v. 11). 

The Philistine go to Judah but Judah shows up to Samson wondering why the Philistines have been come to them with anger when the Philistines rule over them. Samson agrees to allow Judah to tie him up and hand him over to the Philistines. But the Lord was not done with Samson. His death probably loomed so the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (v. 14) and used a jawbone from a donkey to kill a thousand men. He goes to the Lord for provision of water and the Lord makes a way for him to have water and his strength returned to him. 

There is a good way to serve the Lord and a not so good way. I am not to emulate this episode in Samson's life. There is also the reminder, that God's will is to be done, no matter what the circumstances appear. God is in control. I think he obviously prefers Godly people, but either way he will carry out his purposes. His plan is bigger than we can see. 

Summary: Samson and the Philistines fight fire with fire. Eventually, Samson prevails, but only because of the Spirit of the Lord giving him the power. 

Promise: The Lord redeems us and uses us despite our sin. 

Prayer: You are Lord of All, God. I believe we need to be a people that honors you at all times, but your ways will occur whether we are faithful in all the areas we need to be. You choose your people to be your people. You have a purpose in that. I admit, it is not always clear. Maybe it seems clearer today amongst many because of the morality of the day, but there continue to be men of God that falter - struggling with sexual sin and/or other types of vices in their lives that often cause hurt and pain to many around them. I am not to condone that behavior and yet the work you have done through them is not null and void. Our culture does get caught up in cancelling them and everything they did and have done, but you still do great deeds through people who sin. I pray that people would see that your will is to be done. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Psalm 1 - My Prayer

Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1-6 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

My Prayer

Lord, when I do not not follow the advice of the wicked it is joy to my soul; when i do not follow the ungodly, the non-Christian, the enemy of You, friends that do not honor you with their lives, friends that serve a different master, and those that make fun out of loving and honoring You. I pray that I will not go along with people that oppose you. 

Conversely, I pray that my delight is in the Law of the Lord, your Scriptures, your revelation to me; that my days are marked by beginning and ending time with You, in Your Word, and having the peace of Christ as I lay my head down at night; May I love Your Scriptures and seek to follow it all the days of my life. Make me like a tree planted along the riverbank, so that the nourishment I need to Grow each day is found in Your Word and my life then bears fruit. May I be one that stands out and looks to the outside world as one that is healthy and aligned with You. As I align myself daily with You and Your word you watch over me; turning my back on You and seeking after human wisdom and worldly ideals will lead me to destruction.  

Lord, there is a stark difference between the wicked life and the Godly life. The wicked grab onto whatever is in front of them and just as they find their security in it, it is gone. There are no good final outcomes for the wicked. The godly and ungodly will be at opposite corners of the ring of life. If I follow You completely, I must realize that the way of the wicked will not be something I ever want to walk. 

Lord, you watch over me as I walk along the edge of a mountain, keeping me close, but the wicked will fall off their paths and are destroyed by a non-holy path. 

--------------------------------

There is joy in not following. Lord, I need to remember this. I need this to shape my life. A happy man is marked by the places he does not go,, the movies and TV shows he does not watch, books he does not read, company he does not keep. Lord, my world is filled with so many choices and options for my time. As I sit down at the TV, the number of different views for my eyes is staggering. There is joy in not choosing to watch voices that do not honor You with their words. They are poisonous and destructive and counter-productive. What they do is bring rest from following You.

Romans 4:1-5 - Faith and Righteousness

Romans 4:1-5

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh has found? For if Abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about; but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. 

Message: Faith and Righteousness

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying: 

I am not yet halfway through this month of studies on justification - how man is reconciled to God, accepted by God. Thus far in these studies I have seen that all people are sinners and their sin results in all people being guilty. And keeping laws only works if completely obedient to all otherwise the Law reminds us we are guilty. Jesus was always obedient. God gave us Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. We access this through faith. 

But, let's break this down even further. Because of sin, man has violated God's order and ways. Thus, we are lawbreakers. Lawbreakers incur a debt that must be paid. In life, serious lawbreakers incur the sentence of life imprisonment. Often there is a hope that an inward transformation will occur in a person that might result in being paroled or relieved of serving the entire sentence. This is available to some but those that committed more serious crimes, even this is not available. 

Deuteronomy 25:1 reminds us what occurs in a court of law: If there is a dispute between men andt hey go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. And it says the guilty are beaten but the righteous are justified and can return to their life. 

This word for acquittal is the Greek word dikaioo used in Romans 4:5 - Him who justifies the ungodly. God acquits are pronounces "not guilty" those who are lawbreakers. But God is not changing a person, but simply declaring that person does not have a debt to Him. Like in our court system, people incur a debt to the court or the ruling body, mankind incurs a debt to God for breaking the commandments. Yet God will justify some. 

The basis of righteousness is Jesus. Again Romans 5:19 says - through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. Man acquires this by calling on God and having faith - 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner.' 

But let's be clear - faith does not make us righteous. We are counted as righteous by faith. Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness as recorded in Genesis 15:6. Righteousness though is what makes our debt paid before God.  

Promise: Faith is what God uses in us to build the bridge to being accepted by God and restored to a right relationship with Him, but ultimately it is Jesus and His obedience that results in us being seen as continually righteous. 

Prayer: O God, you have made me righteous through the obedience of Jesus my Savior and Lord. You knew that my crime could only result in His obedience. Thank you for bringing me to this saving faith. You sunk it into me on August 10, 1982 and I'm still trying to understand it. Thank you for sealing me forever. Keep instructing people in this truth. Thank you for this study and Ligonier ministry. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mankind's Condition - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. 

The Law Speaks - The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all. Our sin keeps us from this. Human Inability - the simple reminder that man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Only Justified through Christ (God) - The Obedience of One - with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin; we trust only in His words, not ours. God's Initiative In Justification - God initiates the act of justification through the work of Christ alone; he saves us out of His kindness. Faith and Justification - no one is continually righteous; only through Jesus one will be made righteous; to be made righteous one must believe in God, ask for His mercy. 

 

Mark 14:50-52 - The Fleeing Disciples

Mark 14:50-52
50 And they all left Him and fled. 51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. 

Message: The Fleeing Disciples

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus is now being held captive by the chief priests and scribes and elders of the Jewish council. He has been betrayed by Judas and Judas did it with a kiss (seemingly of affection) and calling him Rabbi (teacher). Jesus had been praying in the garden of Gethsemane, anticipating his death, not looking forward to it and even asking that this Cup pass from him. The disciples  were acting like they would always have his back, but when he asked them to watch while he prayed, they fell asleep. Jesus had said that one among them would betray Him, but everyone felt like it wasn't them. But, in fact he said that all would scatter, but at one point he would gather them together again.

And they all left Him and fled. Jesus is now alone. In some ways He has always been alone with the Father. No one stayed with Jesus instead they all went another way. Possibly, they feared their own life. None of them seemed to want this day to come. Every time Jesus spoke of His death, they didn't want to believe it and were at times angry that Jesus would be saying this. Now, as he is seized they flee. Jesus had predicted this in saying His sheep would scatter. Despite the disciples saying that they would always be by His side, in fact, they fled.

At this moment, they had been trying to trust Jesus, but they also did not now the entire story. They didn't know yet for sure about His resurrection, though He had told them it would happen. It is sad that they fled, but how often have a skirted away from sharing the truth of my relationship with God, thinking it wasn't the appropriate time or I too feared what people would think. There seemed to be a group of people not the elders and scribes that were with them to seize him or watch, so there seemed to be a crowd coming to see his demise but was there also a crowd there to come to his aid, it is not clear there was any or if they all fled. If I rely on my own strength then I will be one of those that runs away as well, but if I stop and trust in the Lord and stand firm in Him and look to Him for strength then I can be faithful.

Jesus has been captured. But Mark explains that there was someone else and as is often the case with Mark in his explanations he is not specific of who this young man was that was following Him (Jesus). But, Mark does state that he is a follower. In the process of seizing Jesus they seized him, this man, who some believe is Mark, the one who writes this narrative. This man was wearing a linen sheet over his naked body. But, as the leaders were seizing Jesus and then tried to seize this man he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. Mark makes mention of the man's clothes and his nakedness to possibly explain the fact that all that he wanted to do was get away. And being naked didn't matter as long as he was not going to be seized as well. In this moment, are we fine with Jesus being seized, but we really don't want anything to happen to our safe and secure life and so if necessary, we will get away, even it means embarrassing ourselves as long as we remain free. And yet what we call free is really a continued bondage to the world.

What would the story have looked like if others had been seized along with Jesus? It remains an amazement to me to hear of people being martyred for their faith. Recently, there was a pastor that was killed in Cameroon after only being there for 2 months after spending years raising support to be there long term. There are many others that out of their boldness remained a follower. If others had stayed with Jesus and perhaps been crucified along with Jesus as His follower, what an interesting picture that would be. But instead what we have is people running away.

Summary - Jesus has been arrested under the cover of night. Jesus makes a point that in darkness is when he is seized, when he has been avaiable many times in the day light. He is taken at Gethsemane while he was praying. The Jewish leaders have seized him, thanks to Judas who has betrayed Jesus. After he is taken, all that were with Him, including the disciples, fled. They didn't remain by His side. They left and even when there was an attempt to seize one of them he escaped, even though it meant him being running off naked.

Promise: As Tabletalk states - The temptation to flee our Christian profession is strong when there is a real cost to our obedience, and if we trust in ourselves, we will fail. We need to ask the Lord for strength and grace to persevere under trial.

Prayer: O Lord, on my own I do not surrender to You and I am not proud of how I conduct towards others. On my own, I only look out for myself and what I think is best for me. Lord, as I navigate through life, help me Lord to surrender to You always and look to you for strength and perseverance. I admit Lord, I am too conditioned often to want the approval of people I can see versus you that I cannot see. Yet, Lord, your word is true and I want to stand close to You and be known by You. I want to pledge my allegiance to you and truly follow You in easy times and hard times.

I John 2:19 - Those Who Go Out From Us

I John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

Message: Those Who Go Out From Us

Time: A date of authorship ranges from around 65 AD to AD 95-110. John, the son of Zebedee, one of the 12 disciples is said to be the author. The main theme is love and fellowship and is written to those who are already believers.

What the Lord is Saying:

As a reminder, this is a book written to believers. In verses 15-24 is given the division title of "Do Not Love the World" and it contrasts love of the world versus not. Thus, if you are not, then you have the love of the Father in you.

Verse 18 speaks of the anti-Christ which is defined in verse 22 as anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ. More specifically, in verse 19 is the explanation of people that are walking with Christians, living with them, walking alongside them, going to church, practicing disciplines, but they were not really of us. It is said that there are two different types of faith: professing faith and possessing faith. There are those that accompany faith and faith practices for reasons that are not about living faith in our lives. I think this is a really hard concept because so much of the Western Christian is embodied in the ways of the world and end up looking like a full-time follower of the world and those things of the world and just a part-time Christian.

One example of this type of person that is only professing faith is they don't remain or persevere -- otherwise they would have remained with us. There is a lack of consistency. This is something that is concerning because there are disciplines of the faith that some do not perform. People willingly go to church, but few show up to share their faith on outreach night or when there is a prayer meeting gathering, few attend. They put up with church, living it on a part-time basis, but are not willing to make it a full-time commitment.

Some might use this text as a marker to describe those who fall away from the faith, but rather it is a picture of those who are wolves in sheep's clothing. They never had true faith to begin with. When push comes to shove, they flee. But, its possible that someone has true faith and falls away for a season, but then returns. Sometimes I think people pass judgment on someone but do not see the full picture of their life.

Promise: When we see people seemingly falling away, we should pray for a repentant heart, but ultimately trust God for the outcome of their life.

Proverbs 15:29 - The God Who Hears His People

Proverbs 15:29 -
The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Message: Far from the wicked, Hears the righteous

Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

Far from the Wicked
I often wonder why some people are so far from God. And here in this verse it says, "The Lord is far from the wicked." I have been alarmed or illuminated regarding the seriousness of sin and how it causes a complete darkness in people. Why am I so alarmed that the world does not mirror Christ and His commandments? I should not be for the Lord is far from the wicked. I really must remember this.

In this verse, Solomon is speaking of prayer specifically contrasting what the Lord hears from the righteous and unrighteous.

John 9:31 says, "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him." This is a very similar verse as we can see. We know here from this verse that Jesus is saying that God does not hear from sinners who ask for things, but have no inward change. 

Hears the Righteous
In contrast, it is the righteous that he hears. He hears my prayer. And yet often I do not speak and yet he will hear my prayer. He pays attention to my prayer, but those offered by the wicked he does not pay attention to.

Obviously, the prayer from a sinner for salvation will be heard because the person is experiencing a life change. And what we are speaking of here is the answered prayer. This is what we are intending to happen when we pray, is that the Lord will answer our prayer. If God draws people to himself, then God in essence initiates prayer from people and the people he will work with are those he has called, his chosen, those that are in right covenant relationship with him. They are not perfect, though being called righteous they are seen by God as perfect because righteousness has been imputed to them.

Promise: The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Romans 11:25-27 - Israel's Temporary Hardening

Romans 11:25-27 -²⁵ For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
²⁷ “This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

Message: Partial Hardening followed by Salvation to Israel

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

 
A mystery revealed - verse 25
Paul here continues to speak of the hardening of Israel that has occurred, but it is a partial hardening. Paul shows it to be a mystery, but it is not a mystery as something that is mysterious, but something that was previously a mystery and now has been revealed. Prophecy can be a mystery and Paul is showing here the fulfillment of that prophecy or the salvation of Israel, that will come. 

Wise in your eyes - verse 25
Paul is concerned that people will then determine, in their own eyes, truth that is only determined by God. People espouse truth all the time and Paul wants people to always submit to the truth of the Word.  

We need to realize that we do not know everything, this is what is meant by "will not be wise in your own estimation." Stated another way, "so you will not be proud and start bragging." 

I think one problem, possibly, with this understanding is we don't realize what it means for Gentiles to be saved. I think it for granted. This is a huge thing. That in itself is a mystery, revealed. And I think this is hard for me to understand because it is something I have known and often, I am caught up in the idea that Christianity is a western religion because it has shaped the landscape of this country. But God is not finished with Israel, salvation has come to a remnant of people and salvation will come to many more. 

“The Deliverer will come from Zion," - verse 26Psalm 14:7
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

Paul ties together the prophecy or truths of the Old Testament with what he is saying here, that salvation or Yeshua will come out of Zion and be for Zion.

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” - verse 26
Isaiah 59:20 -

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord. 

This redeemer will remove ungodliness from Jacob. There will be a repentance or turning away from sin for the people of Jacob because of the Redeemer. All of these verses point to the salvation of Israel. Too quickly, I want to apply all of these verses directly to me and the other Gentiles, but they have their root application toward Israel.

“This is My covenant with them, - verse 27 
The 'them' in this verse is specifically the people of Israel. This is who Paul is speaking to in these verses. A covenant is an agreement between two parties.

Isaiah 55:3
"Incline your ear and come to Me.
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you."


Promise: From Table Talk of August 26, 2014 - We Gentiles must not pridefully think the Lord loves us more than the Jews, but we must work for harmony between all peoples in the church.

Romans 5:6-8 - God's Display of His Love

Romans 5:6-8 - 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Message: What Christ's Death accomplished

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

The Set-Up
Here in Romans 5, Paul, after having shown how a person is justified by faith, credited righteousness, describes the results of that justification. I have peace with God through what Jesus has done for me (verse 1). my position has changed to one of hope, a certain future of being with God in His glory, and this makes me boast (verse 2), and now I see that the tribulations in my life are there for a reason and nurture in me patience , and overall show how much God loves me (verse 3-5).

A short gospel message
Q: Do you think good people go to heaven?
Q: Is anyone completely good because being good is not the standard, but being perfect is?
Q: I thought I was good, but then when I looked at God's standard, the Law, I saw something different. I lied. I stole. I used God's name as a curse word. I had lust in my heart toward individuals not my wife. I wanted things that belonged to others so bad that I felt like I wouldn't be happy unless I had them. I disobeyed my parents. And not only these things, but my conscience tells me when I have done wrong. Behind his back, I make my boss out to be a bad person. I change people's opinion of him based upon my words. I know that is wrong, but I do it anyway.
Q: So, I asked you, is anyone complete good and never sinned. There is Jesus. Now a lot has been said of Jesus, but this is what is significant with Him. He lived a perfect life, so he equaled God's standard. And despite being perfect, people didn't like Him and sentenced Him to die. And He submitted to this authority even though he knew He had done nothing wrong. He went to the cross, died, and then did something crazy, He rose from the dead. Christmas, we celebrate His birth and life. Easter, we celebrate His rising again.
Q: Here is what God did for you and I. He said, "Believe in Jesus and you will be saved." To Believe means I (1) believe I am not perfect; (2) believe Jesus is and His sin covers mine and (3) follow Him. When I put my trust in something like a chair, first of all, I could make my own chair, but it would be hard on me. I could do it, but I couldn't do it for a long time. So, I see the chair and trust it that it will hold me up. And then while I am sitting, I can do things. I can read, look at my phone, I can work, make a living.
Q: This is what it is to be a follower of Christ.  

Jesus died for those unable to help themselves
Verse 6 answers a person's question that could be raised in verse 5. It was in verse 5 that I saw that Christ's love has been poured out. The context of that verse was in talking about tribulations. In Christ, I can look at tribulations differently. They serve a big purpose in my life and assure me that I am in Christ. And so it is a testimony of God's love for me. And so how do I know that God loves me? Verse 6.

While I was unable to help myself, Christ died for me. Helpless is the Greek word asthenes which means without strength. Without strength I can not produce results. No matter how much I desire or want to receiving something, I can't. I may want to be a great person, a good person, get to God on my own. I may desire all these things, but the reality is, I am helpless and without strength. I don't have the ability to justify myself through my works. I am helpless.

Christ died. Again, is this the complete message of justifying the sinner? No. It's a partial message. John 3:16 starts, "For God so loved he world that He gave His son." The gave that is being talked about here is the death of Jesus. God shows his love by giving up His only Son to die for us. Jesus died for the helpless.

One may die for a good man
In verses 7 and 8, Paul further clarifies what has occurred in verse 6. There are two realities in verse 6. (1) man is helpless; on his own, man is helpless or without strength; man must see that he can't get to God on His own. (2) man is ungodly. Jesus died for the ungodly. The reality is that man is really has no respect or reverence for things of God. The issue before God isn't that I have some strength and some ability and do some good works and live some sort of good life. Jesus didn't die for good people. That isn't the focus. Man wants it to be the focus because man's pride in himself and his accomplishments is something he desires will merit him something in the after life. Man knows that being good merits good things on earth, so man thinks also that being pretty good over the course of a lifetime will merit something good in the afterlife. The problem is, this is what man thinks. The reality is, God knows we are ungodly. It's not the good that is the focus. The focus is that a person has sinned. And sin separates us from God. And our good deeds don't thing bring us back to God. That's the mistake people make. They think that what they do brings them closer to God. The reality is that man is ungodly.

Verse 7 is a great verse because, to me, it expresses the idea that most people think and that is that Jesus would probably die for someone good. It makes sense to us and it is what we want to believe in ourselves, that we are good and therefore I merit salvation because Christ died for me, a pretty good person. 

But no one would die for a bad man
But the reality is verse 8. God doesn't die for the good. God dies for the sinner. Sin must be presented in the gospel message. It is the focus of the gospel. I am helpless. I am ungodly. I am a sinner. I am without strength, I am not like God. I am a sinner. It's almost like this progression of thought. At first, I see that I am not perfect, meaning I have strength, but not completely. Then I see that I am not like God. I am ungodly. But, then I see that I am a sinner. I have broken God's commandments. I am all these three: helpless, ungodly, a sinner.

God shows His love for me by His Son dying for me. That is some great love. That is God pouring out His love for me.

Promise: God loves the weak, the ungodly, the sinner and yet promises to give them life abundantly.