By definition an optimist is one that expects the best possible outcome of any given situation. Most of us would have to admit that we have a lot of difficulty remaining optimistic. Paul presented an argument that on the surface seems to leave us very little room for being optimistic. In fact, Paul has made it abundantly clear that every one of us has blown it in God’s eyes. He did not leave us with no hope whatsoever, he showed that through faith there is a way to receive God’s grace and to be declared righteous. Despite knowing this we still find it hard to be optimistic because from where we sit we are not worthy of being forgiven. The problem is that we do not have a true grasp of exactly what faith is. The Chamula culture of southern Mexico has no single word in their language for “faith.” In fact, when translators discovered a phrase to accurately convey the meaning, they crossed a major hurdle in translating the New Testament for that people group. For the Chamulas, “faith” is taking-seriously-what-God-has-obligated-himself-to-do. Bringing their insight back into English can deepen our understanding of faith. Paul wants his readers to realize that faith is accepting that God will do exactly what He said that He would do. Today as we come to the first half of Romans 5 our goal is to rediscover exactly what faith is and how we have every reason in the world to be optimistic.
I. Making sense of a passage that is very broad in scope.
A. Paul begins by once again reminding us of our true condition before God.
1. We are by nature unrighteous and rebellious creatures that have been justified through faith.
2. When you read this in the Greek, we see that because of faith we are continually being justified.
3. The faith that enabled us to accept this gift of God’s grace enables us to remain a justified and forgiven person.
4. We need to realize that justification is so much more than simply a guarantee of Heaven, it is so much more and it brings with it so many blessings.
B. The results of our justification through Jesus Christ.
1. The obvious benefit of our justification is that the wrath of God is no longer hanging over our heads.
2. Basically when we accepted God’s gift through faith we entered into a peace treaty with God.
3. The peace Paul is talking about is more than simply an end to hostilities. It refers to the fact that our broken relationship with God has been restored.
4. The Greek verb translated “to have” is in perfect tense which means that we are in possession of this peace right now and we will enjoy its blessings from here on out.
5. The problem is because of our confusion about faith, works and justification often causes us not to realize our new position before God.
6. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1—NIV 2011)
C. Our new position before God gives us every reason to be joyful.
1. Paul shows that through Jesus Christ we now exist in a state of grace. The grace we now live in is an ongoing reality.
2. Sin had taken our access to God away but grace has restored it through Christ. So we can freely approach Him whenever we want to.
3. Since we have a new standing with God and the hope of spending eternity with Him, we have every reason to be joyful.
4. This new hope should enable us to be able to overcome our frustrations in this life. Especially those that result from the times that we fail to live the way we should.
II. Understanding what a person who has been justified looks like.
A. Perseverance in the face of trials and other difficulties.
1. We live in a world that sin has utterly destroyed, as a result we see evil running rampant and have to deal with sickness and death.
2. Although these sufferings can crush us both physically and mentally, they are only temporary.
3. The world offers constant hostility toward those who belong to Christ but like the sufferings they are only temporary.
4. We can be optimistic and joyful because none of these things we endure in this world can take away the great salvation we enjoy.
5. The suffering we endure helps God shape our character and causes our faith and dependence upon Him to grow.
B. Joy because we have been spared from God’s future wrath.
1. God intervened in our circumstances because we were totally powerless to do anything to get us out of the mess we had made.
2. Paul’s illustration about what Christ did is quite humbling. Paul shows someone might dare to die for a good person but the problem is that we are anything but good; we were God’s enemies.
3. God did something that defies all logic He allowed His Son to die for those who were against Him allowing them a way to escape His wrath and to receive eternal life.
4. This presents us with every reason in the world to be optimistic and joyful. If we have placed our trust in Jesus Christ we are not destined for wrath and punishment but for peace and life.
C. A life style that shows a new relationship with God.
1. Paul calls us to live our lives in a way that shows the hope that we have because of the new relationship we have with God.
2. We no longer live like the rest the world God has justified us and declared us to be righteous. We no longer have to fear His wrath. We can look forward to sharing in His glory.
3. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20—NIV 2011)
4. Knowing all that God has done for us should cause us to be filled with hope and the desire to share that hope with all those around us.
5. We need to remember that salvation is not something that is off in the future but a present reality.
III. Three practical applications from Paul’s words.
A. Remaining joyful and optimistic in the face of suffering requires the right perspective.
1. Nothing can bring us down quicker than being forced to endure suffering because it has the ability to drain both our physical and emotional strength.
2. We can only see suffering from our perspective and from that perspective it seems like it is lasting forever.
3. God wants our new life in Jesus Christ to cause us to view suffering from His perspective. It is simply a temporary obstacle that He will get us through.
4. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18—NIV 2011)
B. We must have a humble and teachable spirit in order to live with the proper perspective.
1. When going through trials the most difficult part is to search for what God might want to teach us through it.
2. Most of us find it quite easy to complain when we face difficulties. The difficult part is to thank God for what He is doing and will do through the situation.
3. God’s goal is not to bring us down or to destroy us. His goal is to teach us to depend upon Him so that He can grow us into the person that He desires us to be.
4. God can’t teach us unless we are willing to learn. The only way we will face difficulties alone is if we choose to.
C. Living life with the proper perspective results in unquenchable joy and overwhelming optimism.
1. The fact that God’s goal is to shape us in to Christ’s likeness should give us every reason to be joyful.
2. We do not have to settle for the way things are God intends for us to have a much greater and enjoyable future.
3. After four chapters that focused on the depravity of the human race Paul shows that God has gone to great lengths to change our circumstances.
4. The bottom line is that we have every reason in the world to be optimistic because our future is very bright and promising.
Closing:
What happens when a dog enters a concert? Max Lucado tells the story about a night in Lawrence, Kansas, when the oldest continually operating orchestra in the world was playing. It was hot that night in Lawrence, KS, so the doors were open. Hock Auditorium was not air-conditioned. Combine bright lights with formal dress and furious music, and the result is a heated orchestra. Outside doors on each side of the stage were left open in case of a breeze.
Enter, stage right, a dog. A brown, generic, Kansas dog. Not a mean dog. Not a mad dog. Just a curious dog. He passes through the basses, the violins and the cellos. His tail wags in beat with the music. Had he passed on through the orchestra, the music might have
continued. Had he made his way across the stage into the motioning hands of a stagehand, the audience might never have noticed. But he didn’t leave, he stayed. At home in the splendor.
The musicians laughed. The audience laughed. The dog looked up at the conductor and panted. And the conductor lowered his baton. The most historic orchestra in the world. One of the most moving pieces ever written. A night wrapped in glory, all brought to a stop by a wayward dog.
The conductor stepped off the podium and scratched the dog behind the ears. The tail wagged again. The maestro spoke to the dog a few seconds, then led him off the stage. And the people applauded.
Lucado wrote, Can you find you and me in this picture? I can. Just call us Fido. And consider God the Maestro. And envision the moment when we will walk onto his stage. We won’t deserve to be there. We will not have earned it. We may even surprise the musicians with our presence. The music will be like none we’ve ever heard. We’ll stroll among the angels and listen as they sing. We’ll gaze at heaven’s lights and gasp as they shine. And we’ll walk next to the Maestro, stand by his side, and worship as he leads. He, too, will welcome us. He, too, will speak to us. But He will not lead us away. He will invite us to remain, forever as guests on His stage.
