1. Earlier, Paul reminded us by quoting the Psalms, that it is a blessing to have our sins forgiven. – Look at 4.5-8
• Oh How Happy is the one who has a personal relationship with Jesus and knows that he knows that his sins are forgiven.
Psalm 103:12 (NKJV) 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Micah 7:18-19 (NKJV) 18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
THROUGHOUT CH4, Abraham is on display, the “Father of Faith”.
• How was he justified & saved? By religious duties? No.
• By works? No. By the Law? No. It was simply by faith.
Romans 4:3 (NKJV) 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
NOW FROM CHAPTER 5 THROUGH 8, we see a transition.
• Paul will begin to explain what a tremendous work it was for Jesus to die on the cross & rise again for u & me as believers.
• What Jesus did was enough for us because of the resurrection.
• We can’t add anything. We don’t need to!
NOW would be a good time to pause and look at the book as a whole by way of reminder!
Remember, Romans is quite possibly the most important spiritual document that has ever been written!
• It’s a letter of freedom & liberty & I believe God has used it and will continue to use it in a very mighty and special way.
• It will bring great grace & liberty to you personally.
• It will infuse grace & love in your homes, in your marriages, in your everyday lives.
• Romans is a powerful & revolutionary book! LIFE-CHANGING.
1. (CH 1-3) PROBLEM OF SIN & NEED FOR THE GOSPEL.
2. (CH 4-5) THE PROVISION OF THE GOSPEL!
NOW here are some things to expect in the coming chapters:
• CH5 – Our freedom from the CURSE OF ADAM.
• CH6 – Our Freedom from the POWER OF SIN.
• CH7 – Our Freedom from the LAW.
• CH8 - Our Freedom TO LIVE in Christ. (Begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation!)
OK… CH5 Opens with some of the blessed benefits of Knowing God personally, of being forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.
• We’ll look at 4 of them today & focus in on the other next time.
I. (5:1-3) FAITH IN REAL LIFE
1. (1) Therefore.
a. The word ‘therefore’ is a blessed word that connects what we HAVE learned with what we WILL learn.
b. It could be translated, “Because of…”
c. So because of what Jesus did, dying for our sins, and rising again, and our simple faith in that truth… we have.
NOTICE: These are benefits WE HAVE. They are ours. By faith we live in the beauty of knowing these are ours in Jesus Christ.
#1 – (v1) PEACE WITH GOD! – The war is over.
• The Father has nothing against you, no records of any sin.
• Jesus blood has washed your sins & brought you near!
• No longer separated and fighting against God, we now have a tremendous & wonderful abiding peace WITH GOD!
Before we were justified by faith, we were at war with God, at enmity w/ Him. No peace. Always striving. Constantly wondering.
• We don’t really need the Bible to tell us that, we know it.
• Before U surrender to God, U don’t really feel at ease with Him.
• That’s why when you give a Bible away, or a tract, or invite someone to church, they are easily hesitant & restless.
• They have this natural sense they are separated from God!
• Our job in WINING A PERSON TO Jesus is to bridge that uneasiness with the gospel of Jesus, the Good News!
“God will accept you just as you are.”
• That’s the battle right there. Will a person believe that?
NOTE: Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam & Eve had it made.
• They had a sweet time of fellowship w/ God, until they sinned!
• After their sin there was this sense of condemnation & shame.
• They hid themselves from God & were separated from Him.
• That’s what sin does… It puts you at odds with God.
But by faith in Jesus, we have PEACE WITH GOD.
• Peace means to ‘bind together that which was separated.’
• What Jesus has done is bring us together.
Colossians 1:20-21 (NKJV) 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
• Flip over to Ephesians 2:11ff
It’s neat because the word WITH implies FACING.
• We have peace facing God. We can look face to face with God because of what Jesus did!
• We no longer have to hang our heads in shame because there are no records of wrongdoing!
• You look up your name in the books and it’s blank because Jesus blood washed them all away!
NOTE: There is also another kind of PEACE THAT COMES.
• First there is the PEACE WITH GOD, & then the PEACE OF GOD!
• The truth is, I don’t ALWAYS HAVE the peace OF God.
• I lose my peace sometimes. Do you?
• There are things that come into our lives that are peace robbers and joy stealers.
• But what saves me isn’t how I’m feeling at the moment, but that legal pace that Jesus established for me!
• But guys, you have to know, you will never experience the PEACE OF GOD, unless you have experienced PEACE WITH GOD.
• These are benefits of being saved… a bowing of the knee.
#2 – (2) ACCESS TO GOD BY GRACE.
• Access is very precious. In Ancient times, you couldn’t just rush in to see the king.
• Access to the king was limited to invitations only.
• Anyone not invited, would be immediately killed.
• We see this in the Old Testament with Esther.
• Haman, an evil man, wanted to destroy all the Jews in the land.
• Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, caught wind of it and encouraged Esther to go tell the king immediately.
• Let’s look at Esther 4:9ff
ACCESS… In the Old Testament, access to God was extremely limited… there were different courts around the Temple that you could go in depending on who you were.
• Only the High Priest, once a year could go in the Holy of holies.
• But now through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have access!
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• You have the freedom & access to draw near right now and find grace at the throne of God!
• We can find great help in our times of need!
• We can come to God confidently. Flip over to Heb 10.19-22
APP: I believe this is what James had in mind when he wrote:
James 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…
#3 – (3) WE HAVE HOPE IN THE GLORY OF GOD.
• What does that mean?
• Because of our faith, Jesus has brought us into this place of the highest privilege on the earth.
• We have assurance that we are going to see God face to face!
• This life on earth, is not all there is! There’s more!
• Yes there will be trials, as we will see next time, but we will be with God!
• I rejoice in His return. Literally, boast in his soon return!
• It’s Maranatha, Oh Lord come quickly!
HOPE… this isn’t just some pie in sky type of desire.
• Well I hope I can get home on time. I hope I can get that car.
• This hope is sure & steadfast, based on His promises not our performance.
So my boasting and expectation come not in what I have done, but what He has done. He finished the work and promises to return!
• He’s not coming back because we did all these things for Him.
• He’s coming back because he loves you and me!
NOTE: When my wife leaves on a retreat, the moment she walks out the door, I’m already rejoicing in her return!
• I’m going to have the kids for 3 days!
• No, No, I’m rejoicing in her coming home again because I love her and look forward to her being back. It’s relational!
• Its’ the same with our Heavenly Father… we long to see Jesus!
Psalm 17:15 (NKJV) 15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
#4 – (v3b) WE STAND IN GRACE.
• We were saved by grace, we’re to stand in His grace, and to grow in that very same grace.
• We can’t just gloss over this.
• Grace is like the concrete of salvation! It’s what makes you stand strong and make progress as a believer.
• Sometimes there are those that think an emphasis upon grace will give a weak and shady foundation, like sand.
• But listen, there are just as many sinners in legalistic churches than any other church.
• Grace is the bedrock foundation of our relationship.
• Don’t let anyone try to convince U or argue with U otherwise.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
NOTE: WE ARE TO STAND IN GRACE & also GROW in Grace.
• An unbeliever doesn’t understand this and is constantly plagued by what they have done and haven’t done.
• You’ll talk to them and they will say, “I’m a good person” and go to bed at night thinking that’s enough.
• It’s not because no one is good enough. The beauty of knowing Jesus personally is that you’re delivered from PERFORMANCE and instead are motivated by love!
One of the things that is so powerful that we get to see all the time is a true & genuine move of the Holy Spirit.
• He changes people from the inside out without us ever having to tell them anything. It’s wrong, and God has shown them.
• We don’t need to develop it into a list of requirements, but simply open the Bible allow the Spirit to work.
And so the last 2 are so intertwined.
• HOPE is a confident expectation… with absolute assurance.
• And so we can hope in the glory of God because we know what He has done, and He has promised that by faith He saved me!
#1 – (v1) PEACE WITH GOD! – The war is over.
#2 – (2) ACCESS TO GOD BY GRACE.
#3 – (3) WE HAVE HOPE IN THE GLORY OF GOD.
#4 – (v3b) WE STAND IN GRACE.
A few blessed benefits of being saved!
Next week, trials are coming!
