Romans 5:1-11
We can have a lot of things in life, but if we don't have an inner peace, we will never truly enjoy our lives the way God intended. Are you at peace with GOD this morning? What does it even mean to be at peace?
Therefore, having been justified by (WHAT?) faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
I chose to start with Romans because it deals with so many doctrinal issues, which is a fancy way of saying why we believe what we believe. There is a method to my madness. I am still fairly new to you & you are still fairly new to me. I believe it is important we all have a common biblical foundation.
Thomas Campbell was an early leader of the American Restoration movement. It is from this that the Christian Church Disciples of Christ began. Thomas said in an 1808 speech ‘Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent’” I agree with that as my beliefs come directly from here (hold up Bible) as well. While our ultimate destination is the same, we are not all on the same place in our spiritual journey. Some of us are familiar with these concepts and some are hearing them for the first time.
This morning we can take a few steps back, put some of the pieces together and look at the big picture. To this point in Romans, we have seen Paul describe the nature of a sinful world. We have read that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom 3:23. We have witnessed that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” Rom 1:18 And I think we all know that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23.
We have spent the past couple of weeks establishing that the only way to salvation is through justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Not every message to this point has been comfortable to hear, but they have all been fairly straightforward. The $64,000 question is What advantage is this for us?
The first advantage is highlighted in verse one, we have peace with GOD through our faith in Jesus. Eph 2:14 states “For He (Jesus) Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” This peace comes from knowing that we have a renewed relationship with GOD. The importance of this can not be overstated. Once you have received this peace, GOD will not take it away from you. We are no longer separated by sin. We are free from wrath and judgment. When we repent & believe in Jesus as our savior & are saved by the grace of GOD, we are assured that we are now at peace. This is a lasting peace.
Think about this for second, that means that everything before that time, we lived our lives in conflict with GOD. Life is hard enough as it is, trying to live in a secular world, dealing with relationships, careers, or going to school. It is much better at the end of the day to know you are a child of GOD rather than to be in hostility with GOD. Each of us could rest much better knowing GOD was our ally & not our enemy.
Have you ever met someone new and after only a short while, knew they were a Christian & shared common values? It doesn't take long to realize when someone is at peace with GOD, does it? This past week, I met with a Kone Elevator inspector & we were talking about elevator maintenance. The conversation went from chain & belt tension to talking for over an hour about churches & Biblical beliefs,....anything but elevators. I can't even remember how the conversation switched over.
The second advantage is found in verse 2. We have direct access to GOD. If you were raised in a Protestant church, that isn't anything new. But, if we put this into a historical context to the first century Christian church, this is revolutionary information. The Jews were separated from GOD by a veil in the Temple. The High Priest acted in their behalf. The Gentiles, or, everyone who wasn't Jewish, was separated by a wall within the Temple. A wall they were not allowed to go beyond without being killed for violating Jewish law. Today, there are 1.2 billion people that still go to a priest to confess sins and to have them act as an intercessor. We have direct access to GOD anytime, anywhere.
A third advantage is found at the end of verse 2. We have GODs glorious hope. We know our story will never end. We know that life is eternal & heaven awaits us. Proverbs 23:18 “For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.” Without God’s love, there would be no hope in this world. 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
The next advantage is found in verses 3 & 4. It is a Christian character. This overlaps with recognizing that someone is at peace with GOD. These two verses also mention something that is not spoke of much in churches anymore, that is tribulations. Jesus speaks of both peace and tribulation in John 16:33. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
My issues with some mega-churches is that they are selling an un-realistic idea of Christianity. What they are offering is not Biblical. This subject is actually one of my pet peeves. Jesus becomes a super appliance. HE slices, HE dices, HE blends. He is scratch resistant and can go from stove-top to freezer. He is sold as if He we were a magical super-glue that instantly fixes everything. I am being facetious, but not by much.
Some churches are so concerned by numbers and growth, they will teach anything to get it. If you are in financial difficulty, join the church, pay your tithes & GOD will take care of all of your debts. With enough faith, you will win the lottery. If you are suffering from an illness, join the church, pay your tithes, and GOD will cure whatever ails you. With enough faith, you will be good as new. If you are struggling at work, join the church, pay your tithes and GOD will raise you to the top of the corporate ladder. With enough faith, you'll have the corner office on the top floor in no time.
While GOD absolutely can do all of the above things, what happens to a new believer who was promised wealth, or health, or success when it doesn't happen? If someone comes to Christ under the false pretense of earthly gain, what happens to their faith and opinion of Christianity when they realize they were duped? They become Christianity's harshest critic, don't they? When we encounter someone who is openly antagonistic against Christians, we should ask ourselves what was it that hurt them that much? It is likely that someone in their past, under a false ideal of Christianity, wronged them. Jesus' brother James states in James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” GOD uses trials & tribulation to strengthen our character.
The last advantage we have time to discuss this morning is found in verse 5, the love of GOD. This is not the love we have for GOD. This is the super-natural love GOD has for us. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience GODs continuous love. We don't need to rely on a daisy flower pulling off petals, saying He loves me, He loves me not to determine GODs love. The Holy Spirit guides & directs us while growing and maturing us in the love that He has for us. Jesus sums this up best saying in John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
There is something else hidden in these verses you may have heard before. Verse 1 – Faith. Verse 2 – Hope. And in verse 5 – Love. Does that sound familiar? Paul was writing the Romans letter while he was staying in Corinth and there is a common theme. 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abide faith, hope, & love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
A Christians journey is not without trials. The advantages a Christian has is that we have an inner peace. We have the ability to go to GOD directly through prayer. And we know we have GODs continual love within us to help us through adversity.
I will close with a story that demonstrates this. See if you can guess this gentlemans contribution to the world. Horatio Spafford was a wealthy businessman in Chicago during the late 1800s'. He lost most of his fortune during the great Chicago fire of 1871. With Chicago in ruin, he sent his wife and four daughters ahead to Europe while the city recovered. He intended to join his family at a later time.
The ship that the Spafford ladies were on was hit by another ship and sunk during the voyage. 226 people died. Telecommunications in the 1870s were very limited. Horation received a cable sent by his wife from Wales that stated simply “Saved Alone.”
Horatio left Chicago immediately after hearing the news to join his wife in England. When the ship he was on passed overs the site of his daughters death, he penned the words that begin with... “When peace like a river attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.” The music was written by Philip Bliss and is named after the ship that sunk, the Ville du Havre.
Are you at peace with GOD this morning? Are you missing the outpouring of love from the Holy Spirit? Do you recognize a strangers Christian character and want that inner confidence in your life? He is waiting, all you have to do is accept HIM.
