The Blessings of Believing in Jesus Christ
The Book of Romans
Romans 5:1-5
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - May 15, 2016
(Revised November 12, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Romans 5. Back in chapter 3, God's Word clearly established the truth that, other than Jesus Christ, everyone on earth is guilty of sin. Everyone on earth deserves the righteous wrath of Almighty God.
*In order to prove this truth, Paul compiled verses from several places in the Old Testament, places like Psalm 14, Psalm 53, and Isaiah 59. In Romans 3:10, Paul summed it up by saying, "There is none righteous, no, not one."
*Then in Romans 3:19-20, Paul said:
19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
*On some level, all of us are guilty of sin. But thank God that before the end of chapter 3, God's Word takes us from our guilt to His amazing grace. And it all centers on the cross of Jesus Christ. God's total forgiveness, righteousness and everlasting life are freely available to everyone who will believe in our crucified and risen Lord and Savior.
*So, for example, Romans 3:21-24 says:
21. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22. even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
*Next in Romans 4, Paul used the Old Testament example of Abraham to establish that salvation has always been by God's grace through faith in the Lord. Old Testament saving faith was in the promise of the coming Savior who would be a descendant of Abraham.
*We can see this truth in Romans 4:1-3, where Paul began with this question:
1. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something of which to boast, but not before God.
3. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.''
*Old Testament saving faith was in the promise of the coming Messiah Jesus Christ. New Testament saving faith is in the fulfillment of God's promise through the cross of our risen Savior!
*Romans 4 went on to explain some of the amazing blessings that come through our faith in the Lord. Now in chapter 5, Paul continued to talk about the blessings of believing in Jesus. Let's begin by reading vs. 1-5.
MESSAGE:
*When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter, he longed to go to Rome. Paul wanted to meet and strengthen the Christians who were already there. He also wanted to preach the good news about Jesus everywhere he possibly could, including the capital city of the Empire.
*We know this because in Romans 1:9-16 Paul wrote:
9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10. making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established
12. that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
*About 4 years later, Paul did make it to Rome. But he got there as a prisoner of the Roman Empire, even though his only crime was telling the truth about Jesus. Paul was in the city to appeal his case to Caesar. (1)
*The Apostle had been in chains most of those 4 years, and he had suffered many other hardships for the cause of Christ. But Paul never forgot how blessed he was in the Lord. That's why in Philippians 4:4 he could write, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
*Christians: We can't always rejoice in our health or our looks. We can't always rejoice in our finances, our family, our jobs, our grades or our hobbies. We can't always rejoice in our houses, our cars, our toys, or our accomplishments. But when we think about who Jesus is, and how blessed we are in Him, we can always rejoice in the Lord!
*We are blessed! Our hands are not in chains today. And looking back over our lives, we can see that God has blessed us in countless other ways. But if all of that was taken away, we would still have grace, we would still have Heaven, we would still have all the blessings of believing in Jesus Christ! And tonight's Scripture shows us some of the greatest blessings of all.
1. FIRST: BELIEVING IN JESUS GIVES US PEACE WITH GOD.
*As Paul said in vs. 1: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Believing in Jesus gives us peace with God! The original word has the ideas of tranquility, harmony, security, and safety.
*Christians: We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And why? -- Because God's wrath has been taken away by the cross. We are no longer at war with God, and that's crucial because fighting against God is a war we can never win.
*Now, if you haven't believed in Jesus, if you haven't received Him as your Lord and Savior, you may be thinking, "Wait a minute. I'm not at war with God!" But truly you are.
*Romans 5:8-10 tells believers that: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 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."
*Without Jesus Christ, we are all at war with God. We are His enemies, and it is never His fault. It's always our fault because we are the ones who rebelled and disobeyed God. But Jesus came to give us peace.
[1] HE CAME TO GIVE US ETERNAL PEACE.
*This is the most crucial peace of all: Peace with God. As Paul said in Colossians 1:19-20: "It pleased the Father that in Him (that is, in Jesus) all the fullness should dwell, 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."
*Jesus Christ died on the cross to take all of the just punishment for our sins, but He rose again from the dead. And now we can have all of the peace we will ever need in life. How? -- By receiving Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives.
*That's why vs. 1 tells Christians: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And Romans 10:15 proclaims, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"'
*Jesus came to give eternal peace to all who will trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
[2] HE ALSO CAME TO GIVE US INTERNAL PEACE.
*We also desperately need this internal peace, and Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of God's Holy Spirit in our hearts includes love, joy and PEACE. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul tells Christians to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and THE PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
*When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, yes, we get peace with God. But on top of that, God's peace is planted in our hearts, and it begins to grow. As Jesus told His followers in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
*Marjorie Holmes told about a time when she was struggling with past failures in her life. Then God helped Marjorie through a letter from one of her friends. This friend told about a recent visit with her young granddaughter. They got to see a sky-writing plane writing messages in the sky with smoke.
*The little girl loved watching the words being drawn, but she was mystified when the smoky letters started to disappear. That little granddaughter thought about it for a few moments. Then she blurted out, "Maybe Jesus has an eraser!" (2)
*You know: In a very real sense He does, because He is able to erase all of our failures through the blood of His cross! Revelation 1:5 tells Christians that Jesus Christ "loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
*Without Jesus, there can be no real peace. But we are justified by faith when we believe in His cross and receive the risen Christ as our Lord and Savior. That's what gives us peace with God.
2. BELIEVING IN JESUS ALSO GIVES US A PATHWAY TO GOD.
*That's why the first part of vs. 2 tells us that through Christ, we "have ACCESS by faith into this grace in which we stand." Our faith in Jesus Christ gives us access into God's grace. Our faith in Jesus gives us access into all of the good things of God.
*"Access." When I hear that word, I think about a ramp that gives me access onto the Interstate. And you may have seen those road signs that say, "Limited access." But when we have faith in Jesus Christ, He gives us unlimited access to God!
*William Barkley helped us understand with two great word pictures for this word "access." The original word was the same word used for ushering someone into the presence of royalty or even God.
*Barclay explained that "Jesus ushers us into the very presence of God. And when that door is opened, we don't find God's wrath or condemnation. Instead, we find God's grace, the undeserved, incredible kindness of God."
*There was also another word picture for "access." It was the picture of the safe harbor people desperately seek, when they are out on the stormy seas. And when we trust in Jesus, we have reached the safe harbor of God's grace, for Christ gives us access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." (3)
*Through the cross, Jesus opened the door for us into the presence of God. In fact, Jesus is the door! In John 10:7-9 Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
*Because of Jesus Christ, we have entry into the safe harbor of God's grace. We also have entry into the presence of the King of Kings! Church: We will almost certainly never get access to the Queen of England or the President of the United States. But through Jesus Christ we have access to God the Father anytime day or night!
*That's what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross, so in John 14:6 He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Believing in Jesus gives us an open pathway to God.
3. IT ALSO GIVES US PRAISE FOR GOD.
*We can find this praise at the end of vs. 2. Here Paul tells Christians that by faith in Jesus Christ we "REJOICE in hope of the glory of God."
*This original word for "rejoice" is found 38 times in the New Testament, but it is only translated "rejoice" 4 of those times. Ten times this same word is translated as "boast." But most of the time, it's translated as "glory," with the idea of giving glory or praise to someone.
*A great example is in 1 Corinthians 1:31, where Paul said, "He who GLORIES, let him GLORY in the Lord.'' This word, "rejoice," in vs. 2 is talking about joyfully boasting about God, bragging on Him, giving Him glory, praising the Lord!
*"We rejoice!" Paul said. It's a strong word that shows we are filled with joy! It's the idea of being filled with so much joy that we can't hold it in, so we don't hold it in. We begin to praise the Lord, rejoicing in the sure hope we have in our glorious God!
*MacNeil Jordan was born in Barbados on Christmas Day in 1902. On his 100th birthday, he could still recite pages of scripture and poetry. He could tell you the name of the ship that brought him to Ellis Island, the street where he got his first job as a garment worker, and the name of the cafeteria where he ate 70 years ago.
*A month before MacNeil's 100th birthday, his family made a CD on everything he wanted to say. His 8 children, 23 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren all got copies.
*Here is MacNeil's recipe for long life: "I eat well. I sleep well. I walk quite a bit." -- And every week there's church, where "I praise my God." MacNeil said that's what is most important: "Give God praise every day. That's all. That's my life." (4)
*That's great advice Church. And we know that praising the Lord is important to God, because He talks about it in His Word at least 225 times! We ought to praise God for all that He is and all He has done! We especially ought to praise God for the wonderful, sure hope we have in Jesus Christ.
*By faith in Jesus we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." That's one way believing in Jesus gives us praise for God.
4. BUT BELIEVING ALSO GIVES US PROGRESS FROM GOD.
*I am talking about the spiritual progress we can see in vs. 2-4. Here Paul tells us that we can joyfully boast even in our tribulations, and the reason why is because they bring spiritual progress in our lives.
*Starting in vs. 2 from the KJV, Paul tells us that through our Lord Jesus Christ we also:
2. . . have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
*Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we can keep giving God our joyful praise even through the hard times in life. One reason why is because tough times tend to bring progress in Christian life.
*Paul talked about us "knowing that tribulation produces patience (or perseverance)." Then we can go from perseverance to "experience." The original word for experience includes the idea that going through hard times tends to reveal our true character, both to ourselves and to those around us.
*If we see ourselves falling short, then we can call on God for the added strength and wisdom we need. And if other believers see us reflecting the life of Christ, they will approve and be inspired by our godly character. (5)
*We can go from patient perseverance to the experience of godly character. Then we can go from this experience to the hope that makes us ready for the challenges ahead.
*Here in November 2020 we surely know that we need to be ready for the challenges ahead. Thank God, Philippians 2:13 tells Christians that God Himself is working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure.
*God is at work in our lives in many different ways. He even uses the challenges of today to help us get ready for the challenges of tomorrow. We get the challenges, but we also get the changes! And through Jesus Christ, it's always a change for the better! Believing in Jesus gives us spiritual progress from God.
5. AND IT GIVES US AN OUT-POURING OF GOD'S LOVE.
*As Paul said in vs. 5, "Hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." The NKJV says, "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."
*Don't think of a water hose, or a sprinkling rain, or even a heavy rain. Think of Niagara Falls! That's how God wants to flood our hearts with His love.
*This God-sized love comes by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and it comes through our faith in Jesus Christ. It includes our love for God, our love for our Christian brothers and sisters, our love for our neighbors, and our love for the lost. This God-sized love even includes love for the people who have hurt us the most.
*Lee Strobel told about a truly miraculous example that started two days before Christmas in 1982. Eighteen-year-old Ted Morris was killed on that day by a drunk driver. The drunk driver's name was Tommy Pigage.
*Ted's parents, Frank and Elizabeth Morris, plunged into a deep pit of anger and despair. In her grief, Elizabeth even fantasized about killing the drunk driver. But eventually, Elizabeth realized that her anger was destroying her life, and she chose to forgive Tommy Pigage.
*The Morrises reached out to Tommy, and it was through their friendship that Tommy Pigage became a Christian. By the time their story was reported 15 years later, the Morris and Pigage families were going to church together and shared a close friendship. (6)
*How in the world could that happen? -- Only because the miraculous love of God flooded their hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit.
*God flooded those Christians with the same kind of miraculous agape love that He has for us. It's the same kind of love that led Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. It's the same kind of love that washes away all of our sins and gives us an everlasting home in Heaven, when we turn to Jesus and put our trust in Him.
CONCLUSION:
*Thank God for the blessings of believing in Jesus Christ! -- Peace with God, a pathway to God, praise for God, progress from God, and an out-pouring of God's love in our hearts, all of these things and more!
*So, put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thank God for the blessings of believing!
(1) EASTON'S BIBLE DICTIONARY, Revised Edition - Copyright 1978, Baker Book House Company - Copyright 1988. Electronic Work Product - THE BIBLE LIBRARY - Copyright 1988, 2001 - Oklahoma City, OK
(2) Source: In Other Words - Summer 2000, p. 5 - Topic: Forgiveness - Produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - www.iows.net
(3) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition (C) Copyright 1975 William Barclay - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - "At Home with God" - Romans 5:1-5
-https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/romans-5.html
(4) Adapted from KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 10215 - SOURCE: America Online, Copyright By The Associated Press - TITLE: A One-hundred-year-old's Simple Recipe For Life - AUTHOR: Amy Westfeldt - DATE: 11/23/02
(5) ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - Romans 5:4
(6) Lee Strobel, "God's Outrageous Claims" - Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997, pp. 12-14 - Source: "Dynamic Illustrations" - April, May, June 2002 - Topic: Forgiven
