1. Grace to you and peace from God our Heavenly Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 3rd Sunday in Lent is taken from Romans 5:1-8. It’s entitled, “No Comparison,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. We are always comparing. We walk into a store and compare brands. Which is better? Which lasts longer? Which is the better value? We scroll and compare prices. We compare neighborhoods, careers, homes, even churches. And if we are honest, we compare ourselves. How do I look compared to them? How is my family doing compared to theirs. How strong is my faith compared to others?
3. Mark Zuckerberg, technology entrepreneur and co-founder of Facebook, is only five feet seven inches tall, but you wouldn’t know it. He purposely stages photos to exaggerate his height compared to those standing next to him. Also, he often straightens his back and puffs his chest out to make himself look taller. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, often wanting to be like others or to have what others have, doing whatever we can to make ourselves look better. When we stand next to Jesus and compare ourselves to him, the difference is striking: he is the righteous and sinless Son of God. We are unrighteous, sinful, and ungodly. You can’t photoshop this picture or alter it to make us look any better. Thankfully, God shows his love for us through the death of his Son, Jesus, for us sinners (Rom 5:8). Through Christ, the picture is entirely different: We are no longer unjust but justified, no longer wearing the filthy clothes of unrighteousness but clothed in the righteousness of Christ. There’s no need for Photoshop to doctor your picture. Because of God’s love for you in Christ, you are picture-perfect!
4. Standing Next to Jesus. Our text from Romans 5:1-8 invites us to make a comparison. Standing next to Jesus, how do you measure up? Jesus is the eternal Son of God (John 1:1, 14). He is true God and true man. He is righteous and without sin (Hebrews 4:15). As Scripture says, He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). And you? Paul does not soften the language. He says, “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). And again: “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
5. Standing next to the Righteous One, your unrighteousness is exposed. Standing next to the Holy One, your sin is revealed. Like Adam and Eve after the fall (Genesis 3:7–10), we try to hide our sins. We cover ourselves with fig leaves of comparison and excuses. But the truth remains.
6. In the Gospel reading for today, the Samaritan woman stands next to Jesus (John 4:7–26). The contrast and differences could not be greater between the two. The difference in their ethnicity—Jew and Samaritan—pales in comparison to every other difference: righteous beside unrighteous, saint next to sinner, the All-Knowing One speaking to the woman who doesn’t know and understand. She tries to hide from her sin: “I have no husband” (Jn 4:17), when in fact there have been five husbands and now a man who is not her husband He reveals her life: “You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband” (John 4:18). She attempts to redirect the conversation toward worship locations (John 4:20). But standing next to Christ reveals everything. So it is with us. When we are placed beside Jesus, there is no comparison. He is righteous. We are sinners (Romans 3:23).
7. Standing Next to the Cross. But Romans 5 shifts the comparison. Paul does not leave you standing next to Christ’s perfection. He places you next to Christ’s cross. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Notice when. Not after improvement. Not after repentance cleaned everything up. Not after we proved ourselves. While we were still sinners. Paul continues: “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die” (Romans 5:7).
8. Who would you die for? Maybe a spouse. A child. A dear friend. But for an enemy? For the ungodly? But that is exactly what Christ has done. Jesus Himself says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Even wandering sheep. Even stubborn sheep. As Isaiah foretold: “All we like sheep have gone astray… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). There stands Jesus. There stand you—with all your sin, your selfishness, your wandering heart. And He says, “My life for yours.” The One who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). The sinless Son suffers so that sinners may live. Jesus says in the words of the hymn writer: “I, the sinless Son of God, will suffer in sadness, so that you, the sinful child of man, may live in gladness” (cf LSB 439:3–5).
9. That is the comparison Paul wants you to see. Your sin. His sacrifice. And what does it prove? “God shows his love…” (Romans 5:8). The cross is proof. Demonstration. Divine evidence. God’s love is not sentimental. It is crucified.
10.
A New Standing. And because of that cross, your standing
has changed. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Justified. Declared
righteous. “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this
grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:2). Notice that word: stand. Once
you stood condemned (John 3:18). Now you stand in grace. Once you were enemies
(Romans 5:10).
Now you have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Once you were dead in
trespasses (Ephesians 2:1).
Now you are alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5).
11. And even suffering is transformed. As one justified, your suffering is not God’s wrath over your sin. Christ endured God’s righteous wrath in your place on the cross. Thus, by God’s grace, even the believer’s suffering in this fallen world is sanctified. God is at work in all things in your life, including suffering. Paul writes, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame” (Romans 5:3–5). Why does hope not put us to shame? “Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
12. Poured. Not measured out carefully. Not rationed sparingly. Poured. And nothing can undo it. The love of God—shown, proven, and demonstrated for you in the cross of Christ—is now abundantly poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit. It’s happening today. You come to this place with your sin, and God’s love is poured into your heart: “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He says: “Take, eat; this is my body. Take, drink; this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” You come to this place with all your suffering, trials, afflictions, burdens, and cares, and God’s love is poured into your heart today to strengthen you, to comfort you, to produce in you endurance, character, and a hope that will never disappoint. Thus, there’s even joy in suffering, for you face suffering with the confidence that, “nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39).
13. Dear friends, if it were not for the grace of God, we could not stand. But because Christ stood in our place—because He endured the cross—your standing before God is secure. When you stand next to Jesus in your own merit, the difference is devastating. But when you stand next to His cross, the difference is glorious. You, the sinner, are forgiven. You, the unworthy, are loved. You, once condemned, are justified.
14. There is no need to adjust the angle. No need to edit the image. In Christ, you are clothed with His righteousness (Galatians 3:27). For while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Romans 5:8). And that is a comparison that changes everything. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
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