RECOVERED BY GRACE
Romans 5
Introduction
We are calling today Recovery Sunday for a few reasons. We rejoice with the recovery community that meets in our building because lives are being saved, rebuilt, and refocused. We realize that everyone is recovering from the wounds, hurts, and hangups of our lives. The destruction of sin in our lives is impossible to ignore. The recovery we long for is found only in Jesus Christ.
Brennan Manning “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn or deserve it.”
Paul might not use the term recovery, but he does tell us that when life has beaten us up, there is hope to be found in Christ alone. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”
Sin and consequences is a problem that every person faces, but grace is the gift that brings us new life, new beginnings, and new hope. In Romans 4 Paul uses the imperfect but faithful Abraham to remind us that being righteous / in good standing before God is a gift that comes by faith. Faith doesn’t fix it all.
When life knocks us down we can’t always fix it - we can’t always make things right - we can’t always be victorious. The reality of recovery is that we face hard things in life. How can we have a sense of peace and hope? Some circumstances seem too big, some weights too heavy, and some burdens we cannot overcome. When life knocks us down, how can we possibly take a stand? Our answers are not on the self-help shelf, they are in the Bible. And it all starts with God.
We experience the recovery that God offers by grace. He promises…
1. YOU CAN EXPERIENCE PEACE (Romans 5:1)
We experience peace because we are no longer expecting the wrath of God in our lives. We are no longer in an adversarial relationship with God, living in rebellion, lawlessness, and fear. Paul attributes peace to being justified through faith! (5:1) What Jesus did at the cross was to bring us to justification - a removal of the sin barrier between us and God.
We can never have peace in our hearts until we have peace with God through grace as a basis for facing the realities and struggles of life. A peaceful heart is the result of…
- Making Godly Decisions (Romans 2:10 “…peace for everyone who does good…”)
- Taking a spiritual view of life (Romans 8:6 “…To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace…”)
- Finding peace with God (Romans 15:33 “May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”)
God is called the “God of Peace” at least seven times in the NT. When we put our faith in Christ we begin to experience a new kind of peace that doesn’t come from a substance or from a relationship or from anything that can take us down a bad road. You can experience Peace; it comes from God.
2. YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE GRACE OF JESUS (Romans 5:2)
We can stand in Grace because it comes through Jesus - and not our own efforts! Grace is not a sporadic revolving door condition. We are standing on a firm foundation, not clinging by our fingertips to some weak and tattered cord! Grace is that efficient…effective … empowering!
Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Grace is God’ s gift to the unable. (18 times in Romans!). Grace teaches me of my inability. I am unable to save
myself, I need God’ s work in my life. Grace admits the need for forgiveness and help. Grace opens up access to the King! Tim Keller: “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.”
“Jesus ushers into the very presence of God. He opens the door for us to the presence of the King of Kings; and when that door is opened what we find is grace, not condemnation, not judgment, not vengeance, but the sheer, undeserved, incredible kindness of God.” - Barclay
Paul’s letters are filled with the message of grace. Do we wonder why? Paul’s claim was to be the chief of sinners saved by the glorious grace of Jesus.
3. YOU CAN EXPERIENCE HOPE (Romans 5:3-5)
Suffering is still a reality but takes on new meaning. Suffering is literally 'pressure'. All kinds of pressure can come upon a Christian.. difficult circumstances, sorrow, persecution, rejection, loneliness. All of that pressure produces something in us. No one is happy to suffer, but we are alert to what God is doing through those sufferings. We all have challenges to our faith along the way. Our own doubts, Disappointments, and Failures. But we stand in hope because Grace comes from God and not ourselves.
Suffering produces Perseverance. Perseverance/endurance is the spirit that does not just endure but actively overcomes the trials ahead. This 'Perseverance' is the spirit which meets things face to face … It never gives up.
Perseverance produces Character. When faced with a giant, we choose either to follow after God, or abandon him in hopes of trying to find a way through on our own. When we suffer and persevere a kind of character is formed in us that draws us closer to God, helping us to be more like Him. Important because…
Character produces hope. There’s no shame in hope … God gives it to us…overflowing in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Poured out = abundance. God’s love comes to us as a brimming and overflowing river. It was so important to God that you know His love that he sent his Holy Spirit to pour it … not drip it sparingly .. pour it into your heart.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Conclusion
You Are Invited! Receive all these blessings: Peace, Grace, Hope! Your weakness does not disqualify you - in fact, it qualifies you(6-8). We were weak - powerless, helpless, without strength. We were helpless to do anything about our sin. We were ungodly - a state of opposition to God and his law. Totally undeserving of his loving forgiveness.
Who would do something for someone like that? Jesus! This is how we know grace is really grace. You are invited to experience Joy (9-11). Justified by his blood. Standing in grace includes standing under the blood. Reconciled to God by his death (10) we rejoice in God.
“We are sinful and flawed in ourselves more than we ever dared believe, yet at the same time we are more loved and accepted by Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” - Tim Keller
God loves all but he is not in a relationship with all. Sin is in the way - it is a barrier to all of the blessings that God wants to give. Do we deserve it? No…it’s all grace.
Brennan Manning “God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.”
When life knocks us down, we have the power to Stand. Not our own power, our own faith, our own strength. Dependence on God who overcomes all challenges of life. Even when we hurt deeply ... because God has been hurt deeply as well...at the cross ... and emerged victorious. Never be ashamed to put your hope in God. Peace of God, Grace of Jesus, Hope From the Holy Spirit.
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Discussion Questions
1. Big themes were covered this morning including peace, hope, love, and grace. All of those are through faith in Christ. If you had to choose one of them, which would mean the most to you?
2. What are some of the ways you have experienced peace with God through Jesus Christ? What peace can a new Christian expect?
3. In verses 3-4 Paul traces a pathway through suffering that ends in trusting God's love. He begins with the idea that "we also boast in our sufferings". how does that resonate with you and your experiences? HOw do you think this idea might bless a Christian who is going through a severe trial?
4. In what way/ways is God's love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit? How do we know this love? How does this love keep us from being disappointed with God (vs. 5)?
5. While we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly (vs. 6). What does this tell us about grace? What does this teach us about loving others?
6. This section closes with a few verses that mention reconciliation. what does the concept of reconciliation mean to you and your relationship to God? What would be the worst part of being separated from God? Can we be sure that we are reconciled to God?
7. What else did you want to talk about?
