A Monument of the Mind
Rom 5:1-8
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Tomorrow we celebrate Memorial Day which was unofficially begun by women of the South during the Civil War when they placed flowers over the graves of the “men in gray.”
In 1868, General John A. Logan, Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued an order officially setting aside May 30 as “Decoration Day.” It has now become an occasion on which we remember not only those who have fallen in war, but all our dead.
A few years ago a wall was built in Washington D.C. and on it were inscribed the names of the thousands who had died in the Vietnam War, perhaps the most controversial war in our nations’ history. But regardless of what people thought about that war, this wall memorial reminds us that thousands of Americans sacrificed their lives in that far-off place.
Most of them were young people who wanted to hold on to life. Their names are on that wall. One of them was a young man from one of our families in my home church—a wonderful Christian family. I’ll never forget standing beside his coffin as he was buried with military honors.
All of us owe these young men and women a great debt. Down through the years, in many wars, millions have sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom. On this Memorial Day weekend it is fitting for us to remember them and thank God for their precious gift.
Illus.: Soldier by the Wall”
On the news they showed a video that profound in it’s message. Someone hap video-taped a man standing next to the Vietnam Memorial. His right hand was extended to the wall and he was gently caressing someone’s name that was etched into that wall. It was very moving. Over and over again, he repeated these words: “He died for me. He died for me.” Was it a brother? A father? A friend? We’ll never know. But one thing is for certain—the man was visibly moved by the sacrifice of one man!
And that scene set me to thinking. Each time we enter church we must remember another sacrifice. We must ERRECT A MONUMENT IN OUR MIND. For you see, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross brought the greatest hope and freedom to the world.
This is what Paul was talking about in Romans 5. Out of his experience he shared the reason we must never forget Christ’s
Sacrifice. Paul reminded us of what it did for us.
1. It Brought Us PEACE With God.
Look at verse one: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that before the cross there was a war going on—a war between God and human beings. It is a sad tale to tell. God created the world and mankind, giving them everything they needed for a good life.
All they had to do was love God and follow His guidelines. But they didn’t want to do that. They didn’t trust God. They didn’t think He knew what was best for them, so they did their own thing and brought what we call “sin” upon the human race. The best way to remember the meaning of that word is to capitalize the “I” in the middle of it.
By bringing sin into the world, people erected a wall between themselves and God. It was sad for it meant separation—no more fellowship with God, no more relationship with their Creator. As a result, people began to think of God not as a friend, but as an enemy—someone who had to be appeased and feared. So they established a lot of rituals and sacrifices to try to appease God. They thought of God only as a Judge and not as their Redeemer.
Then Jesus came. He came to show people that God was really love and the cross was the explanation point that tried to prove it. God was not their enemy. He was against them. He was for them!
The cross means that we don’t have to be at war with God. We can be at peace with Him. This is one thing that happens when we erect this MONUMENT IN OUR MIND.
2. The Sacrifice Made Us Able to Experience the Presence of God
Look at verse 2: “Through Him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand.”
The door that shut people out from God was no longer closed. In the Temple, the Jews had a place called the holy of holies. This was where the presence of God dwelt and no one could enter. A curtain concealed it. The only person allowed to go in was the high priest—and he only was allowed in once a year, on the Day of Atonement, when he made sacrifices for the people.
The presence of God was cut off from the people. They couldn’t go in.
But when Christ died on the cross, the curtain was torn in two by God Himself—opening the way to God. Now, everyone can know the benefits of God’s presence—the joy, the love, and the hope. We can know God personally. We can sit on His lap. We can tell Him our troubles and dreams. We can ask Him for help and strength.
Illus.: Access to the President
When Abraham Lincoln was president, one of his sons wanted to go in and see him. Lincoln was in a very important meeting and his secretary said to his son, “You can’t go in now. He’s very busy.” The boy answered, “He’s my father and he said he’s always got time to see me.” So he marched right in and Lincoln stopped his meeting to attend to his son’s need.
That’s the way it is with God! He always has time for us. And Jesus made it all possible. We don’t have to go through a priest or a preacher to get to Him. All we need is the desire to be in His presence.
Now before I leave this point, I need to remind you that not only did Jesus open the way for us to go directly to God, but He also brought God to us. God no longer dwells in temples made with human hands; He dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. And the cross made that possible to. And that’s why we need to keep the MONUMENT OF HIS LOVE IN OUR MINDS.
3. The Cross Made it Possible to Share the Hope of Glory
Verse 2 also says, “We rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”
This means that we are given the hope that, no matter what happens to us, the glory of God will reign and we will experience it!
Here’s the one truth Christians live by: THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL NEVER COME TUMBLING DOWN. Man’s kingdoms might. Our kingdoms might. But His never will.
Ilus.: Hope’s Power
From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. "Stay in school," he admonished, "and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.
Rev 11:15: “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
We may have our trials here and now—but beyond them is the light of God’s kingdom—the joy of our homecoming. And Jesus made it all possible!
On Memorial Day we need to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for us. But we also need to remember Christ’s sacrifice. We need to erect a MEMORIAL IN OUR MINDS.
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