Great News

Title: “Great News!” Script: Rom. 5:1-11

Type: Expository/series Where: GNBC 4-11-21

Intro: A large, two-engined train was making its way across America. While crossing the Western mountains, one of the engines broke down. “No problem, we can make it to Denver and get a replacement engine there,” the engineer thought, and carried on at half power. Farther on down the line (if you didn’t guess by now), the other engine broke down, and the train came to a standstill in the middle of nowhere.

The engineer needed to inform the passengers about why the train had stopped, and always trying to look on the bright side of things, made the following announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time until the additional engines arrive. The good news is that you didn’t take this trip in a plane!” Now even that bad, in light of the engineer’s insight, was good news. The 1st 4 chapters of Romans seems to state a lot of bad news. However, all of that bad news is there to put us in the right frame of reference to receive the Great News of Romans 5:1-11.

Prop: Examining Rom. 5:1-11 will demonstrate 2 Pieces of Great News!

BG: 1. Romans 5:1 begins with a major change from the previous 4 chapters. Good News!

2. Rom. 5 begins w/ the great benefits of being declared righteous by God. Good News.

Prop: Let’s joyfully examine Rom.5:1-11 to see two pieces of Great News!

I. The First Piece of Good News: Peace with God vv. 1-5

A. Romans 5:1-5 Announces the End to Hostilities.

1. Romans 5:1-5 announces that in Christ we have Peace with God.

a. The pursuit of peace is a universal human obsession. Illus: WWI was billed as the “War to end all Wars”, yet more people died due to war in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries combined! Neville Chamberlain, in an attempt to appease Nazi aggression landed at the Heston Aerodrome and announced to the eager British people the solution to the Czech problem: “We have peace in our time.” Yet roughly a year later the German Panzers would roll in Poland and France. On an individual level, anti-anxiety medication use is at an all time high in American as we struggle for relief from the pace of life and focus of our society.

b. Yet, fundamental to world as well as individual peace is recognizing that the human condition longs for peace with God. The first 4 chapters of Romans tells us that man’s willful rebellion has placed us at enmity with God. We are literally at war with Him and He with us. Yet, into this realm of hostility Jesus Christ entered as a propitiation to turn God’s wrath, and Rom. 5:1 proclaims: (READ). PEACE WITH GOD! John Stott said of this verse: “God does not confer the status of righteousness upon us w/o at the same time giving Himself to us in friendship and establish peace b/t Himself and us.” (Romans, p.139)

2. Paul tells us where this peace comes from.

a. “Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” – The world looks for peace to come through a UN decision of Force, a government action or program, a relief agency, a doctor or counselor’s appointment. However, the Bible tells us that true and eternally lasting peace comes through only One source, faith in Christ!

b. Peace with the Father comes when we accept what the Son did on our behalf.

B. Through Faith in Christ We are Standing in Grace. V.2 a

1. Through Christ we have access to the Father. Illust: Have you ever had someone say: “Feel free to use my name…” Maybe for an interview or application or to get a better deal. Why do we do it? Because we hope the existent relationship between those two individuals will positively benefit us. My friend, that is exactly what Christ has done for us. We were alienated, separated, hostile towards God and through faith in Christ and dependence upon the eternal relationship b/t Jesus and His Father, we have been ushered into a relationship of peace given by grace.

2. Illust: “introduction” – prosagoge – Place where ships could go a shelter in a storm. A harbor or a haven. IN Christ we find a haven of rest, as shelter from the storm. What Paul is saying here is that when we attempt to work our righteousness in the flesh with our works we are storm tossed by the tempest of life. But through Christ we find a permanent harbor of safety and security through Christ our Lord.

C. We Rejoice in Our Hope. V. 2b