Sermon (12-Mar): Justified! Having the Faith of Abraham (Rom 5:1-11)

Scripture:

Romans 5:1-11 (SLIDE)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] 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[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.

3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to 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 person, though for a good person 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.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Big Idea:

The objective of this message is to focus on the justification of the believer through Christ alone

(SLIDE) Justified or Just As If I Had Never Sinned…

- Many years ago, I think about when I first heard this statement

- And even up to today, I think about how defining it is for me as a Christian and as a believer in Jesus

- There are several “complex” words when it comes to the Christian faith

- I think of justification, sanctification, glorified, reconciled, and even the word “saved” to some extent

- When I was a teenager, one of my childhood friends, named Derrick Boone,

- He asked me if I was saved and it threw me for a loop to say the least

- I didn’t know how to answer the question and, obviously, I haven’t forgotten it

- Derrick’s mother allowed me to stay there after school until my mother could pick me up after work

- In my opinion, she did her best to exemplify the scripture,

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6

- Derrick and I would walk to his house after getting off the bus every day from school for about six months or so

- Sad to say, Derrick, was shot and killed in 1997 and as far as I know…his death is still unsolved

- I bring that up because as a teenager Derrick knew about being saved and salvation

- Something so “complex” to me at the time and perhaps others today…

- Derrick knew at a young age and though he died at the age of 21;

- I believe he had a better glimpse of heaven than did I for many years

- I think back of instances of Derrick asking me that question and learning about other “complex” words

- It still remains in my memory today

- In a way, it’s something to become familiar with and acquainted with…

- Not to be a spiritual powerhouse or theologian but to know our foundation and its meaning

- We can change the Bible translation and hopefully make it easier for many more to understand and come to the faith

- But it’s truly about grasping our Christian roots

- That’s what I begin to gather when it comes to the Book of Romans

- It’s what Paul is beginning to explain to the Christians in Rome

- One thing’s for sure, with anyone coming to the Lord, there’s a learning curve…

- For some, that curve can be steep and for others maybe a little less than steep

- But, when you’re serious about becoming a disciple—a completely committed follower of Jesus—and not a fan

- As Author Kyle Idleman writes…

- The desire to know what God says, versus what the world says, becomes greater

- Your life begins to change and your faith is right at the center of it all

Transition: Has anyone else experienced that?

Paul’s Testimony to the Romans Hasn’t Changed (SLIDE)

- You and I can take Paul at his word today

- What Paul spoke of then is what we can take to heart now

- There are times that we may be able to argue that the times have changed and beliefs have as well

- Yet, when we look at the Book of Romans specifically our passage today

- It’s as if Paul is sitting around and giving us a fireside chat on peace, hope and faith

- Areas where we all need to be reminded of and built up in

- Paul spent chapter 4 telling us about THE patriarch of our faith—Abraham

- We can look back in Genesis and read about Abraham’s journey, both physically and spiritually

- Abraham’s story is so significant to who we are today;

- It’s amazing that we tend to overlook it

- Think about it…Abraham went against and beyond hope, all hope, to believe God

- That faith level in God, the Bible says (Rom 4:23-25 NLT; SLIDE)

23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

- And isn’t that where our struggle comes in, “Will we trust God and take Him at His word or not?”

- We face that initially as we come into the Christian faith

- Where God leads us to Him and our life as we know it is on the line

- Everything we have believed and/or acted upon puts us at the crossroads of our need of salvation

- One thing that I was challenged with early on when I started attending church regularly was how I stood before God then

- Notice what I said, “How I stood before God”

- That thought isn’t incorrect…just incomplete

- True, it is how I stood before God but it’s also how we all stand before God—each of us

- Simply put, we all stand guilty before Him

- Whether it’s on our best or worst day…guilty

- And no one is exempt from that…from the President to the Pope; from the saint to the sinner

- However harsh we may look at it—that’s what the Apostle Paul says (Romans 3:22b-23; SLIDE)

“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

- Unfortunately, one part isn’t our fault…we received it from Adam

- We are all born into the worst predicament spiritually

- Our nature is sin and then we’re nurtured in sin

- How we are nurtured in sin…that part is mostly on us

- Still altogether, there’s a universal guilt assigned to all of humankind

- Every person has to deal with it…you have to deal with, I have to deal with it

- Whether we delay it or avoid it; eventually it’s something that we’ll have to address

- Paul knows this and, in my opinion, delivers to Christians of his and our time—

- the way out of this mess and hole that we find ourselves in whether through nature or nurture

Transition: Well, it’s pretty obvious but perhaps it’s not so clear; only God can provide the way out…

God knew the only way out of our bind was Him [SLIDE]

- If it’s one thing that most people love, it’s a rags to riches story

- How one person pulls themselves up out of the muck and the mire by their own bootstraps

- And makes a success of him or herself

- The story of going from homeless to owning a home or multiple homes and businesses

- It can indeed be inspiring…where we root for the underdog;

- Cheering them on as they climb the proverbial ladder of success

- But, when it comes to success and acceptance to God

- He’s not looking for that—for us to do it on our own

- God made it so that we would need Him and Jesus to do it

- If we think that there is some other way, we discount Christ’s sacrifice

- And according to what Paul has written,

- The only way that we are justified or “cleansed” and have peace with God is (Rom 5:1; SLIDE),

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

- You’ll notice that only happens through faith

- We cannot achieve it by our own effort and striving or hoping and wishing for it

- It must be on God’s terms

- His terms are the only way that we can be declared righteous is through Jesus

- When we look back at the Old Testament, you see the sacrifice of animals— a young bull, a male or female goat, a dove/pigeon

- It’s interesting that none of those sacrifices were meant to completely take away the sins of the people

- In many ways, it foreshadowed what would be the once for a lifetime sacrifice in Jesus

- God’s ways are so much better than ours and He knew what He was doing from the start

- Even when the enemy thought God’s plan was foiled in Genesis, the 1stbook of the Bible

- Look at what God says (Gen 3:15; Amp) (SLIDE),

“And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, and you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

- As only God can do, He forecasts that the Seed (meaning Christ) will deliver the final, fatal blow to the Devil

- That blow was delivered through Jesus’ death and victory was obtained by His resurrection

- That’s the significance of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

- God knew what He was doing from the start

- Throughout the Old Testament, we are given hints that God’s plan was still in the works

- The prophets point towards it and King David looks forward to it

- All the while, God was telling His people that He had not forgotten

- Then, Jesus steps on the scene and the religious leaders question Him denying His deity

- Yet, He (Jesus) was never deterred from His purpose

Transition: Simply, because He had you in mind

Jesus Had You in Mind [SLIDE]

- I love thinking of the fact that Jesus had us in mind

- Usually, I think of this (Heb 12:2b NLT; SLIDE),

“…He endured the cross, disregarding its shame”

- The lyrics of a popular song say it so well,

You came from heaven to earth

To show the way

From the earth to the cross

My debt to pay

From the cross to the grave

From the grave to the sky

- Lord I lift Your Name on High, MercyMe (1996)

- Because He had us in mind…on the cross; it makes whatever situation we’re facing more bearable

- So, it’s understandable when Paul writes (Rom 5:3-5),

“…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

- No one wants the suffering; it comes as a part of the Christian life in some way

- And having God’s love poured in our hearts allows us to love in ways we never imagined before

- For those of us who are believers, we can think back on a situation and/or person where we have had to do just that

- I think back on situations in my life where I could have held onto unforgiveness but through God…

- I was able to show God’s love

- In fact, that’s my prayer most days; that I show the God kind of love to those I encounter

- And I know that there’s still much room for me to grow…

- How about you?

- Can you look back and see where you need to come up?

- The good thing is that as a believer, the Holy Spirit has already “pinched” or poked you in different areas

- That’s what’s called conviction

- It’s different than when you are getting beat down and told that you are no good

- And not worth anything

- The conviction of God reminds you that “That wasn’t right” or “Did that action really require that response from you?”

- All in all, God still reminds us in this passage that,

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 person, though for a good person 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.

Transition: That’s exactly the message we need

Through Paul, God inspires us for the present and the future (SLIDE)

- Just about every time I read this passage, I get inspired

- Knowing that even in my Before Christ days, that He died for me is enough to bring me to tears

- It reminds me that I am good enough in Him

- Through His grace, I am good enough

- Because I recognize and accept His Son, He made me good enough

- If I attempt to do it on my own and lean on my own merits, then that’s where I fail

- I can only be saved from God’s wrath and justified, as the passage says, by Christ’s blood

- The thought that as God’s enemy we were reconciled to Him

- Meaning that there was a mutual exchange—Christ’s life for ours

- We’ll never fully know the extent and the cost that Christ paid

- His life saved us!

- That’s where our only boast can come through—His sacrifice

Closing:

- So, as I begin to wrap this message up

- Remember, Christ’s sacrifice made me justified—just as if I had never sinned

- Paul’s testimony hasn’t changed for us today—we still rely on what Christ did at Calvary

- Clearly, the only way that we had a shot at Heaven and Him was Christ and we’re thankful just to be on His mind

- For each of us, allow this message to inspire us today, tomorrow and the rest of our journey

- Will you pray with me please?

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask you to forgive me for all of my sins known and unknown, I renounce them all. Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I receive you now as Lord and Savior of my life. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He died for me and arose and sits at the right hand of God praying for me, interceding for me. Lord Jesus, I give you everything. I thank you for saving me, delivering me and setting me free, in Jesus’ name!