“It’s all about Faith”
Peace with God
Romans 5:1-5
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
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by
faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
3.
Here’s something to consider: When a person is granted a status, along with
that status will come benefits, perks!
a.
For instance, when a person becomes a doctor,
they now have access to things that were previously off-limits.
b.
They can now prescribe medications
c.
They have access to peoples private health
information
d.
They gain access to areas of a hospital that are
off-limits to non-medical personnel.
e.
Their status grants them certain privileges.
4.
In the same way, when a person places their
faith in the person of Jesus Christ, there are certain things that are granted
to that person, based on their new status with God:
a.
The first is ...
5.
Peace with God
a.
Paul makes an interesting statement in verse 10:
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son (v10)
b.
The unsaved person may not be aware of it, but
they are actually in a state of war with God.
Do you not know that friendship with the world is
enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God. James 4:4
6.
In other words, there are no neutral party’s;
there’re no Canadians in the realm of the spiritual engagement that is taking
place all around us.
a.
This world is a battlefield, and they battle
isn’t for control of territory…
b.
The battle is for the soul of the human race.
c.
Once a human is born, they are placed on the battlefield.
7.
Through Jesus Christ, the war has been won -
Jesus has won - but He didn’t defeat “us.”
a.
Not like in WWII where we pummeled the Japanese
Navy, and smoked two of Japan's cities...
8.
Who did God defeat? He defeated Satan, He
defeated death, He defeated sin!
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled. Colossians 1:21
9.
What did God win? He won us!
a.
And now that he’s won us, through faith in Jesus
Christ, we are at peace with Him!
b.
Now that we’re at peace, we have access...
10. Access
to God
a.
Access is a privilege that shouldn’t be taken
lightly…
b.
Think of it this way: Everyone in America knows who the President
is, but not everyone has access to the president.
c.
But very few people have access. It's a high
privilege to have access to the President.
11. For
the Christian, we now have access to the most powerful being in eternity!
a.
We have permission to come before God to worship
Him, to talk with Him,
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not
know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends… John 15:15
b.
We can bring our situation to Him, even in times
of trial and difficulty - we can come before the throne of grace!
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
12. Standing
- “this grace in which we stand” - “grace” being “unmerited favor,”
a.
See grace is God giving something to us,
justification, that we really don't deserve!
b.
And for no other reason other than the fact that
He loves, He forgives us - not ONCE - but CONTINUALLY.
c.
Hence the term “standing” - grace isn’t a
one-time payment that we can blow through and then it’s gone.
d.
It is a never-ending supply that cannot be
exhausted!
e.
Matter of fact, later in verse 17, Paul calls it
the "much more" grace of God.
13. Unfortunately
many Christians begin in grace, but then think that in order to go on to
perfection and maturity, they have to perform.
a.
Grace says that regardless of whether I've
prayed three hours today, or haven't prayed in three weeks, I'm still in Gods
grace!
b.
Now that doesn’t mean that we should forget about
praying; If we want the power of God in
our life, if we want the wisdom of God, if we want direction from God, then
prayer is where it’s at!
c.
My point is that my many prayers, or my lack of
prayers, does not affect my standing with God.
14. Standing
means:
a.
I don’t have to prove my worth with God
b.
God is my friend, He is always with me.
c.
He is always accessible
d.
I am free from the “score sheet” - the account
is settled in Jesus
15. Standing
in the grace; it's a permanent position. It doesn't change with the wind, or
with my behavior.
a.
And finally….
16. Hope
- Greek elpis (el-piss) - the expectation of what is sure, what is certain!
a.
This isn’t hope as in “I hope that
happens,” but hope in the sense that
something is certainly going to happen, and so we live in certain anticipation.
b.
It would be as if you won the NC Powerball
lottery, once your name was announced, your bank would give you a big line of
credit, knowing that you were about to come into a large amount of money!
c.
As a Christian, we’ve been reborn into the
family of God, and so our future is certain!
17. These
things; peace with God, access to God, standing with God, hope of our present
and our future, are a result of one thing:
justification by faith:
a.
I believe Paul felt it so important that the
Christians in Rome understand the relationship with God because understanding
these benefits changes how we live.
b.
If you won the lottery, it would change the way
you live.
c.
There would be no worry about making house
payment - you wouldn't have a payment!
d.
There would be no worry about your car breaking
down.
18. In
the same way: When a person is in relationship with God, they have peace,
access, standing, and hope - and it changes how we live!
a.
It also changes how we respond to adversity...
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character;
and character, hope.
19. Pretty
cool, Paul is like “man, through faith in Christ we have been massively blessed
with all of these incredible blessings, peace, access, standing, hope,
a.
But that’s not all! There’s more!
b.
When the hard times come, and they will, we can
glory!
20. And
Paul is using a word here – Thlipsis - that doesn’t speak of minor troubles, like
getting a ticket, or a flat tire....
a.
It’s a severe word: Pressed in, caught in the middle of a fire, a
situation that is terribly painful, where there's no immediate escape.
21. Now
let me be clear about a few things:
a.
#1 No one likes tribulation. Christians aren’t
supposed to be masochists, inviting tribulation.
b.
#2 Because we live in a fallen world,
tribulation is inevitable. Christian or
not, everyone will experience tribulation at some point
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33
c.
What Paul is telling us is that because of our
standing with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, how tribulation affects us
will significantly change.
22. You
see, for the person who has no relationship with God, when tribulation comes,
it drives them down.
a.
There is no reason, random chance and bad luck
brings the tribulation, and therefore it has no redeeming impact.
b.
There is no help, no power greater than
themselves to draw from
c.
Tribulation simply proves that it’s a cold cruel
world, full of pain and darkness, and that it’s all pointless.
23. But
for the Christian, you and I, another factor engages in the midst of a
tribulation: The grace of God!
a.
We know that the sovereignty of God is active,
that this tribulation was no surprise to God, matter of fact we’re able to
recognize that God prepared us for the tribulation BEFORE it came!
b.
The grace of God is supernaturally enacted, and
we can sense it’s presence! Almost like we're floating above the situation!
c.
It gives us strength, peace, we feel the Lord
lifting us and carrying us through the trial, to the other side.
24. For
the person that doesn’t know God, trial’s make them bitter…
a.
But for the Christian, trials make us better!
25. Paul
lists three things that a trial will produce in the Christian: Perseverance, character, and hope.
26. #1
Perseverance: A runner must develop endurance, and they don’t develop it by
sitting on the couch eating Doritos!
a.
A soldier that runs at the first sound of
gunfire is worthless, so the military will condition a soldier to become
accustomed to gunfire.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the
genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter
1:6-7
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James
1:2-3
27. I
remember before I became a Christian, I would always run from anything that was
difficult.
a.
Relationships, work situations, financial
issues; every time things got difficult, I got moving! I didn’t have anything to help me get through
the crisis, so I bailed.
b.
But once I became a Christian, and I began to
learn that I could lean on the grace of God, His strength, to get through the
crisis.
c.
I learned that I didn't have to run!
d.
I learned that trails wouldn’t kill me, but they
actually made me stronger!
28. #2
Character - Have you ever noticed that character isn’t revealed in easy times?
a.
Most people are honest when their needs are met;
most people are fine in a relationship when things are going well.
b.
It’s when things hit the fan that you find out
what a person is really made of.
29. Trials
reveal character. So, how is it that Paul is saying trial’s produce character?
a.
Because when a Christian goes through a trial,
the grace of God goes into effect, and the nature and character of Christ is
what comes out.
b.
We learn to lean on his nature and character
during the trial!
30. #3
Hope - See once you’ve gone through a trial, and you’ve experienced grace of
God, you’ve experienced perseverance, you’ve experienced the character of
Christ,
a.
You have a new sense of certainty that nothing
that comes into your life can shake you, nothing can knock you off track,
b.
You have a new faith that God will never leave
you, that He’ll be holding up our arms, strengthening you in supernatural ways.
c.
And even if your very life is taken from you,
your future is secure in Christ!
31. I
think of that song we sang this morning:
How He Loves, that line: “Afflictions eclipsed by glory.”
a.
Think about that for a second: “afflictions eclipsed by glory…” in human terms, that doesn’t make any sense
at all. There’s nothing glorious about
affliction.
b.
But for the Christian, afflictions are an
opportunity for the glory of God to be revealed in our lives in a way that is
nothing short of supernatural!
32. It’s
been said, “there is nothing more powerful in a human life than to remove the
fear of death.”
a.
and that’s exactly the hope that a relationship
with Jesus Christ brings.
b.
Hope that goes beyond human understanding, hope
that declares “the future is NOW - and FOREVER!
I will never leave you nor forsake you. Heb 13:5
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than
all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. John 10:29
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
33. It
is the hope that doesn’t disappoint, because it is fueled by the love of God!
a.
If you have the Spirit of God living in you,
then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
b.
When a trial hits, when a loved one is lost,
when the diagnosis is bad, when your mind is telling you “OK, it’s time to
freak out!”
c.
That is exactly when the Spirit of God begins to
work in your heart.
d.
The only way I know to explain it is that its as
if you’re floating above the situation, being carried by angels, having that
peace in your heart that God is with you.
34. You
see that’s how much God loves you!
That’s how much He cares about you!
a.
He didn’t go to war to defeat you – He went to
war to WIN you!
b.
And the war is over!
c.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He said the word “Tetelestia”
- IT IS FINISHED! (LEAVE THIS SLIDE UP)
35. "It
is finished!" At the cross, the gavel of the Supreme Judge of the Universe
crashed upon His mighty bench when God the Father, poured the full cup of His
wrath against sin upon His innocent Son.
a.
"It is finished!" At the cross, the Great
Exchange took place. The eternal debt owed for the sin of mankind was paid in
full.
b.
God the Father looked upon His perfect,
precious, and priceless Son as if He had lived the filthy, detestable,
sin-stained lives of fallen mankind.
c.
And, for those who repent and receive Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior, God the Father looks upon them as if they had
lived His Son's perfect, precious, and priceless life.
36. "It
is finished!" At the cross, God kept His promise to crush Satan's head
through the bruising of His Son. The power of sin and death was vanquished once
and for all time.
37. "It
is finished!" Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross forever made man's
work to appease God, to please God, and to be reconciled to God, impotent and blasphemous.
a.
The sin debt I owe to God was and is paid in
full by my Lord and Savior, my Master and King, Jesus Christ, when He shed His
innocent blood on the cross on my behalf!
b.
The war is over - IT...IS...FINISHED!
Copyright © 2013
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