Access Granted! Series

“ACCESS GRANTED” Romans 5:1-11

FBCF – 9/21/25

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Words have meaning. If I were to walk into this room & yell, “FIRE!”, it would have a significant effect on everyone here. “Goodbye” has meaning, a finality to it, so much so that many times at the funeral of a Christian person, we will say, “This is not goodbye. It’s just ‘see ya later.’”

The Bible talks about the power & meaning of words & warns & challenges us to choose our words carefully:

- Proverbs 18:21 – “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” (MSG)

- Matthew 12:36-37 – “And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” (NLT)

- Proverbs 15:4a – “Gentle words are a tree of life…” (NLT)

- Ephesians 4:29 – “Watch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians.” (NLV)

Obviously, the Bible is a book filled w/ words. And these words came from the very mouth of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the writers of Scripture. The words in this book carry meaning & life. They direct our lives. They teach us how to live for the glory of God. They strengthen us in the face of temptation & bring conviction when we fall into sin. Paul told us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is God-breathed, & is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, & training in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV)

- Teaching us what is right

- Rebuking us when we are not right

- Correcting us to show us how to get right

- Training us on how to stay right

Today as we continue “Roamin’ Through Romans,” I want to talk about some powerful words in our Scripture passage for today.

EXPLANATION – Romans 5:1-11

In Rom 5, P talks about the process & results of salvation b/c salvation is not just a one-time event. Yes, the moment we place our faith in Jesus & confess Him as Lord, we are completely, eternally, securely saved.

- Romans 10:9 – “That if you confess w/ your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

- Romans 10:13 – “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Easy for us to focus on the past tense of our salvation & also the future tense of our salvation. Past tense is our justification – that moment when all of our sins are wiped away & Jesus declares us “Not guilty.” We remember & rejoice in the day that we gave our lives to Christ – 8 y/o boy at Bill Glass Crusade at Walter Sillers Coliseum at Delta State – March 18, 1973. You don’t have to remember exact date, but you DO need to know that you know that you know that that life-changing, eternity-altering moment has happened in your life. Do you know for sure that you’ve had that moment? If not, NOW!!!

Also easy for us to focus on the future tense of our salvation – our eternal home in heaven. That’s our glorification. Heaven is a real place, prepared for us by Jesus, where we will live w/ Him for all eternity! In awe as we see Jesus face to face & worship Him w/ multitudes around us. Reunited w/ our saved loved ones who’ve gone on before us. Resting in His presence where we will never again have to worry about sin, sickness, or sorrow – no cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, ALS, or even a head cold. No crime. No assassinations. No sin. No vulgarities. No immorality. No fussing or fighting or griping or complaining. Just JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!!!

But there is also the present tense of our salvation – the process we are in at this very moment – our sanctification – the process where we are progressively becoming more & more like Jesus as we live for His glory.

3 wonderful words to describe our salvation:

- Justification – We have BEEN saved

- Sanctification – We are BEING saved

- Glorification – We will BE saved for all eternity

APPLICATION – Jesus saves us for life in heaven & strengthens us for life on earth.

OUR SALVATION SETS US RIGHT WITH GOD – v. 1-2, 10-11 – These verses are packed w/ awesome words that have huge meaning for us as Christ-followers – words that speak to our theology, doctrine, our belief system - words that set the truth of the Gospel apart from all other religions in the world. Words like: