Blessings of Our Justification
OUTLINE
Introduction: This summer was by far the most difficult summer I have ever had to deal with. I came across many trials and temptations in my life, and I was constantly turning to God for comfort and guidance. My grandfather, Papo, whom I was very close to, passed away towards the end of the summer. He spent nearly eight weeks in the hospital after suffering a stroke. Papo was not able to overcome the effects the stroke had on his body. As the days went by, he was gradually getting worse. On top of that, I went to the doctor because my knee was hurting and found out that I had a torn meniscus that required surgery. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I had to have surgery on my knee three weeks before returning to TTU. During these situations, I kept searching the Scriptures to find peace that only God can give us. This search led me to the passage I am going to preach on today. The beginning of Romans 5 deals with the blessings of our justification. Justification is to be declared righteous by God. Justification is by faith. Warren Wiersbe says, “Our justification is not simply a guarantee of heaven, as thrilling as that is, but it is also the source of tremendous blessings that we can enjoy here and now.” In fact, the first blessing that justification produces is peace with God.
I. Justification provides peace with God. (Romans 5:1)
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of peace through justification, let us take a look at the second blessing of Justification.
II. Justification Provides Access to God. (Romans 5:2a)
Transition: Now that we have realized that justification provides us with access to God, let us take a look at the third blessing from justification.
III. Justification Provides Hope of the Glory of God. (Romans 5:2b)
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of hope of the glory of God, let’s take a look at the fourth blessing that we receive from justification.
IV. Justification Provides Glory in Tribulations. (Romans 5:3-4)
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of glorying in tribulations, let’s take a look at the fifth blessing provided by justification.
V. Justification Proves the Love of God. (Romans 5:5-8)
Transition: Now that we have seen the love of God proven by justification, let’s take a look at the sixth blessing we receive from justification.
VI. Justification Provides Salvation from Future Wrath. (Romans 5:9-10)
Transition: Now that we have realized that believers are saved from future wrath through their justification, let’s take a look at the seventh and final blessing from our justification.
VII. Justification Provides Reconciliation with God. (Romans 5:11)
Conclusion: Warren Wiersbe wrote in his book, Be Right, that we “have a salvation that takes care of the past, the present, and the future. Christ died for us; Christ lives for us; Christ is coming of us! Hallelujah, what a Savior!”
Application: The believer is to understand all the blessings received from justification. What a privilege it is to be justified, declared righteous. The Lord loves us and provides us with these blessings to help us here on earth.
MANUSCRIPT
Introduction: This summer was by far the most difficult summer I have ever had to deal with. I came across many trials and temptations in my life, and I was constantly turning to God for comfort and guidance. My grandfather, Papo, whom I was very close to, passed away towards the end of the summer. He spent nearly eight weeks in the hospital after suffering a stroke. Papo was not able to overcome the effects the stroke had on his body. As the days went by, he was gradually getting worse. On top of that, I went to the doctor because my knee was hurting and found out that I had a torn meniscus that required surgery. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I had to have surgery on my knee three weeks before returning to TTU. During these situations, I kept searching the Scriptures to find peace that only God can give us. This search led me to the passage I am going to preach on today. The beginning of Romans 5 deals with the blessings of our justification. Justification is to be declared righteous by God. Justification is by faith. Warren Wiersbe says, “Our justification is not simply a guarantee of heaven, as thrilling as that is, but it is also the source of tremendous blessings that we can enjoy here and now.” In fact, the first blessing that justification produces is peace with God.
Transition: Now that we have seen the definition of justification, let us take a look at the first blessing. Justification provides peace with God.
I. Justification provides peace with God. (Romans 5:1)
Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessing of peace can be experienced right here on earth. What kind of peace is this you might ask? It is that peace that passes all understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (KJV) Peace from God will comfort you and guard your hearts and minds.
Now that we know what kind of peace this is, let us take a look at how we have this peace. The Bible states in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (KJV) We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:20, “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” We have this peace with God because of the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He shed his blood in order to establish peace between sinful man and a righteous, holy God. Warren Wiersbe puts this in simple words in his book, The Bible Exposition Commentary when he writes, “Condemnation means that God declares us sinners, which is a declaration of war. Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is a declaration of peace, made possible by Christ’s death on the cross.” Aren’t you glad that the price for peace has been paid? John Phillips wrote in his commentary, Exploring Romans, this peace “simply means that the war is over; the arms of rebellion have been laid down; God’s terms of amnesty have been accepted.” The war is over! Justification has provided peace with God.
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of peace through justification, let us take a look at the second blessing of Justification.
II. Justification Provides Access to God. (Romans 5:2a)
John Phillips gives this great illustration in his commentary, Exploring Romans, “A little boy once stood outside the gates of Buckingham palace in London. He wanted to talk to the king but was sternly repulsed by the guard at the gate. He rubbed a grimy hand to his cheek to wipe away a tear. Just then along came a well-dressed man who asked the little fellow to explain his trouble. When he heard the story, the man smiled and said, “Here, hold my hand, sonny. I’ll get you in. Just you never mind those soldiers.” The little boy took the proffered hand and, to his surprise, saw the soldiers leap to attention and present arms as his new-found friend approached. Past the guard he was led, along carpeted halls, through wide-flung doors and on through a glittering throng right up to the throne of the king. He had taken the hand of the Prince of Wales, the king’s son! Through him he had gained access.
It is a glorious thing to have acceptance, to know that the war is over and that God no longer looks upon us with disfavor and wrath. It is far better to have access. And those who have taken the pierced hand of the King’s Son have access indeed. What a standing.”
Justification provides us with access to God. We can boldly go to our Father who is in Heaven. In fact, the Jew was kept from God’s presence by the veil in the temple, and the Gentile was kept out by a wall in the temple that warned them not to pass the wall or they would be killed. But when Jesus died, He tore the veil and He tore down the wall. The Bible reads in Luke 23:45, “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.” (KJV) Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14, “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (KJV) In Christ, believing Jews and Gentiles have access to God. The veil has been torn; the wall has been broken down! The Bible reads in Ephesians 2:18, “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” And the Bible also reads in 1Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Hallelujah, we have access to God through our justification. What a blessing!
Transition: Now that we have realized that justification provides us with access to God, let us take a look at the third blessing from justification.
III. Justification Provides Hope of the Glory of God. (Romans 5:2b)
So far we have seen that the peace of God takes care of the past, because God will no longer hold our sins against us. Secondly, we see that access to God takes care of the present because we can come to Him at any time for help in our lives. Thirdly, we see that hope of the glory of God takes care of the future. One day we will share in His glory. Hope that Jesus Christ is coming again for us should motivate us to live holy lives. We have that hope that He is coming; we will be with Him in heaven one day. When He comes back for us, how will He find us?
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of hope of the glory of God, let’s take a look at the fourth blessing that we receive from justification.
IV. Justification Provides Glory in Tribulations. (Romans 5:3-4)
Justification does not mean the Christian life is perfect without tribulation and trials. The Apostle John quoted Jesus in John 16:33 when He said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Trials in the life of the believer work for him and not against him. They help believers get closer to the Lord. Tribulations and trials help build our Christian character. The English word tribulation comes from the Latin word tribulum. “In Paul’s day, a tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it, used for threshing the grain. The tribulum was drawn over the grain and it separated the wheat from the chaff. As we go through tribulations, and depend on God’s grace, the trials only purify us and help to get rid of the chaff” in our lives. (The Bible Exposition Commentary, p. 527) “Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always.” (Unknown Source) Justification gives us glory in tribulations; it builds up our Christian character.
Transition: Now that we have seen the blessing of glorying in tribulations, let’s take a look at the fifth blessing provided by justification.
V. Justification Proves the Love of God. (Romans 5:5-8)
“A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on ‘The Love of God.’ As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.” (SermonIllustrations.com) Jesus Christ demonstrated the highest possible form of love. He sacrificed Himself on that cross for us. He died when He didn’t deserve to die. He chose to do all this so that we might be able to have salvation. Why you might ask? Because Jesus loves us! We all know what John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That is emphasized even more in what Romans 5:8 reads, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God proved His love for us by sending His only begotten Son to die in our place. Jesus loved us so much that He died in our place. His blood on the cross allows us to have salvation and then justification. God declares us righteous because we have believed and accepted by faith what His Son, Jesus Christ, did for us on that cross. He no longer sees us as a sinner; He sees the blood of Jesus covering us. Amen, what a Savior we have in Jesus. What love was demonstrated! He died for us while we were yet sinners. We don’t deserve to be justified. None of us would die for a murderer that killed someone you love. In fact, the Bible says we probably wouldn’t even die for someone we respect. We might contemplate it, but we definitely know that we would never die for someone that is a horrible sinner. But verse 8 in chapter five of Romans proves that God’s love is contrary to our normal standard of thinking. Jesus died for us while we were undeserving sinners. This just proves the wonderful, merciful love of Jesus. Justification proves the love of God in our life.
Transition: Now that we have seen the love of God proven by justification, let’s take a look at the sixth blessing we receive from justification.
VI. Justification Provides Salvation from Future Wrath. (Romans 5:9-10)
We have been saved form wrath to come by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is this future wrath you might ask? It is the wrath of the future judgment of God. God is going to judge everyone. Will you be ready? Have you been justified? If so, then you have been saved from this future wrath of God.
Transition: Now that we have realized that believers are saved from future wrath through their justification, let’s take a look at the seventh and final blessing from our justification.
VII. Justification Provides Reconciliation with God. (Romans 5:11)
The word atonement means reconciliation. Reconciliation is being brought back into fellowship with God. We have been given the blessing of reconciliation with God by our justification. Sin hinders the relationship between God and man. However, when Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood, He made it possible for man to be reconciled to God. We have been restored.
Conclusion: *Warren Wiersbe wrote in his book, Be Right, that we “have a salvation that takes care of the past, the present, and the future. Christ died for us; Christ lives for us; Christ is coming of us! Hallelujah, what a Savior!” Justification is such a wonderful gift. We can be justified, declared righteous before God. After being justified, we can enjoy these seven blessings here on earth. Justification as awesome as it is in reference to the future, is also a wonderful gift that can be enjoyed right here on earth. Thank God for your justification, and do not take it for granted!
Application: The believer is to understand all the blessings received from justification. What a privilege it is to be justified, declared righteous. The Lord loves us and provides us with these blessings to help us here on earth.
Bibliography
Holy Bible, King James Version
Phillips, John. Exploring Romans: The John Phillips Commentary Series: Grand Rapids, MI, Kregel Publications, 1969.
Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 1: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Chariot Victor Publishing, 1989.
Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Chariot Victor Publishing, 1989.