The Great Exchange - Romans 5:6-20

The Great Exchange

Romans 5:6-20

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1.         One of my favorite movies is Act of Valor, which is about a team of Navy Seals that goes after a terrorist group.

a.    And while there are some really cool scenes of firefights (the riverboat scene is, to me, one of the top ten action scenes ever filmed!)

b.    The underlying theme of the movie the valor of the men, and how they’re willing to go to any length to complete their mission.

d.    Without hesitation, Lt Rourke jumps on the grenade, shielding his teammates from the effects of the blast, giving his life to save his team.  

e.    Truly an act of valor!

2.         But what about the bad guys?  Well, they are summarily gunned down, because, hey, they’re bad guys!

a.    If that grenade had accidentally bounced into the group of terrorists, I doubt LT Rourke would’ve jumped on it!  (“well, that was helpful..”)  

3.         That’s what Paul is saying here:  There are a few people, not many, that would give their life to save a family member, a loved one, a friend, a comrade…

a.    But who would sacrifice himself to save a terrorist, or a criminal?

b.    There is one - Jesus!  In an unprecedented demonstration of love, Jesus gave His life to save sinners!

c.    He died to save the terrorist, the mass murderer, the child molester – and yes, you and me!

Peace with God - Romans 5:1-5

“It’s all about Faith”

Peace with God

Romans 5:1-5

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In 1972 two fishermen were checking their shrimp traps along a river on the South Pacific island of Guam, when they ran across a man they thought to be a local villager.  Unprovoked, the man attacked them, yelling at them in a strange language.  They were able to subdue the man, and they brought him into town, where it was discovered that he was no native villager.  The man’s name was Shōichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during the Second World War.  When US forces regained control of the island in 1945, Yokoi and nine other soldiers retreated into the jungle to await reinforcements. As the years went by, the reinforcements never came. Seven of the men eventually left, two died in flooding, leaving Yokoi, who remained at his post, believing he was still at war, ready to defend the island the Emperor! He didn’t realize that the war had ended, his country had entered a peace agreement, Japan and the US were now allies! Yokoi didn’t need to hide any longer.

1.         So it is with many people:  Deep down they know they’re not living according to God’s law, deep down they understand that they’re not righteous…

a.    So they feel they have to run from God, they have to hide from God!

b.    Just like Yokoi, they don’t understand that the war is OVER! Peace has been achieved. 

c.    Not by setting off a nuclear bomb, but through the sacrifice of the Son of God.

d.    Through Jesus, God has made peace available to mankind

2.         That's what Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5