Benefits For The Believer

TEXT: ROMANS 5:1-11

TITLE: “BENEFITS FOR THE BELIEVER”

INTRODUCTION: A. The pastor of a church in San Francisco was looking over the

manger scene in the front yard of the church the day after Christmas.

He thought something looked wrong and went to investigate.

As he walked closer, he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing.

He looked down the sidewalk and saw a little boy with a red wagon. In

the wagon was the figure of the infant Jesus.

The pastor walked up to the boy and asked, “Son, where did you get

your passenger?”

The little boy said: “I got him from the church.”

Pastor asked: “Why did you take him?”

Little boy said: “Well, about a week before Christmas I prayed to

Jesus and told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas that

I would give him a ride around the block in it.”

B. We have become confused about the benefits of being a believer. We

have come to believe that God is like a genie in a lamp. We rub it

through prayer and we get what we want.

1. There are benefits to being a believer.

2. They are not what we have come to expect.

3. They are what we need.

C. How do we acquire these benefits?

1. Paul tells us how in v. 1

--“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith…”

2. Two weeks ago, we studied what two of these words meant.

--Let’s review

a. “Faith”

--placing our entire hope and trust in Jesus Christ

b. “Justified” – “Justification”

(1). Declaration of not guilty in the face of overwhelming

evidence to the contrary.

(2). “Just if I had never sinned.”

3. We acquire the benefits that Paul describes through the placing of

our faith in Jesus Christ and God then declaring us “not guilty”

because Christ paid the penalty for our sins.

D. Paul lists 6 benefits of being a believer:

I. AMITY – v. 1

A. “Amity” – “peace; friendship”

--concept of shalom

B. Bible tells us that before we put our hope and trust in Jesus the Christ that we are enemies

of God.

C. We cannot come into relationship because of our rebellion and sin.

D. Our faith in the faithfulness of Jesus brings us into relationship with Him and therefore,

relationship with the Son brings relationship with the Father.

E. Amity (peace with God) brings us:

II. ACCESS – v. 2a

A. Imagine that you hear your doorbell ring. You open the door and a child you don’t

know and have never seen before is standing on your porch with a suitcase. The child

says he’s there to stay for awhile. You’re probably going to try to find out who he is,

where he lives, who his parents are.

Imagine again you hear your doorbell ring. You open the door and a child you don’t

know and have never seen before is standing on your porch with a suitcase. Your son is

standing behind him. He says, “Dad this is my friend Jeremy. He’s going to stay with us

for awhile. Mom says it’s okay.”

B. The word used here for “access” is a Greek word that signifies being ushered into

the presence of a king or ruler; a person of authority and respect.

1. When Jesus died, veil of temple torn in two

2. Paul says we have gained access into the grace of God through the person of Jesus.

--“grace” – “gift” – “do over”

III. ASSURANCE -

A. “Hope”

1. Before we submit ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have no hope.

2. Titus 2:13 – “…while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our

great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…”

B. Our hope stems from the fact that one day, we will be transformed into the glory of God.

1. All of imperfections, flaws, warts, pimples, and moles in our life will be made glorious

in the presence of the one who gave Himself for us.

2. As for now, we have to put up with each other and put up with ourselves. But God has

provided a way for us to have hope.

IV. ACQUISITION – vv. 3-4

A. One of the benefits of being a believer is that we can acquire the things that we need.

1. Notice how Paul says we acquire them – through suffering

2. We don’t like that word – “suffering”

--Greek word also translated as – “trouble; distress; hardships; afflictions; trials;

tribulation”

3. Jesus said that in this world, you will have trouble!

4. Part and parcel of Christian life.

B. But there are benefits to suffering

--Lets look at them:

1. Suffering produces perserverance

--(each benefit produces another benefit)

2. Perseverance produces character