Romans 5a_b: Wk 34

Un-Plugged: Bringing More Than a Song

(A 2023 summer series targeting the heart of God—from mine to His)

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TODAY WE COME TO CELEBRATE GOD AND HIS WORD: WITH A FOCUS ON ROMANS

PAUL HAS TAUGHT US IN THE FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS THE GOSPEL BASICS...

What SIN is?

Why we need to be saved?

Why religion can’t fix us and ONLY the GOSPEL can.

What faith that saves really looks like.

IF WE WERE PASSING OUT GOSPEL 101 CERTIFICATES…YOU WOULD BE GETTING ONE

GOING INTO CHAPTER 5 WE WILL SEE...

How knowing these things impacts how we live out our faith as a follower of Jesus.

but specifically, in the area of SUFFERING!

Suffering is probably one of the toughest areas for us to wrap our heads around.

TODAY:

If God is a good God, then why does terrible things happen to good people?

we know this all too well, right?

COLOSSEUM IN ROME:

Over 3000 Christians SUFFERED FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST in the Colosseum.

Christians were fed to half-starved lions, burned alive, and hacked to death.

BOLD STATEMENT:

“How well you understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ is demonstrated by the attitude you possess in suffering.” ~Dr. J.D. Greear

CHAPTER 5

#1 - We have hope in suffering because we have peace with God.

Have you ever wondered what Paul means when he uses the word affliction here?

What is an affliction, really?

What do you understand this term to mean?

The word Paul uses in this passage, thlipsis, is a word that means distress or trouble.

It doesn’t apply so much to the idea of sickness or illness, but more so to mistreatment or persecution.

Have you ever experienced affliction? What was that like?

vs.1 starts with “THEREFORE”, it points back to...

The new relationship we have with God

we have been declared fully righteous by faith

we have been justified

we have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb

we are saved!

We have new understandings when it comes to Life, Suffering and Death!

we know we have peace with God

any and all punishments of sin have been dealt with through Jesus on the cross

God doesn’t double dip in penalty of sin—he is a righteous God.

PEACE with God is not some subjective feeling of calmness

PEACE with God is an objective reality created by Jesus’ death and sacrifice for our sin.

So, we don’t FEEL at peace with God— No, we HAVE PEACE with God through the powerful work that Jesus has DONE for us.

Romans 5:1 NLT

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

PEACE is...

100% ASSURANCE — NOT A FEELING!

IT IS A LEGAL REALITY of RIGHT STANDING with God — NOT A PERCEIVED FEELING

This PEACE that we pray for others, PEACE that passes all understanding is found in...

Philippians 4:7 NLT

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

IT’S NOT MY PEACE…IT IS GOD’S PEACE. amen!

“In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me any more and nothing I have done to love me any less.” ~J.D. Greear

vs 2. we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)

10a ...the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

“I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix” ~D.A. Carson, Theologian

vs 3. we rejoice in our sufferings.

Job 1:22 NLT

22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Affliction is to produce endurance, character, and hope in us.

Job’s 3 Kinds of Faith

Faith of Propriety (Obedience and Reward)

Faith of Desperation (God is Good, all the time)

Faith of Sufficiency (Trusting God in All Things)

Job’s 3 Kinds of Faith

Faith of Propriety (We Obey God and then He Rewards us)

Faith of Desperation (believing God is Good despite any negative outcome)

Job 13:15 (ESV)

15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.

Faith of Sufficiency (Trusting God in All Things— the kind of faith that comes through suffering and endurance)

Job 42:5–6 NLT

5 I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

“I never new that God was all I needed until He was all that I had.” ~Corrie Ten Boom

vs.4 Endurance produce proven character and character produces hope.

Japanies art of peicing broken pots back together with gold. The flaw now have more value as it retains it’s history, but set in gold.

God is infusing his power in us.

vs.5 Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.

vs.7-8 God

vs.9-10

To many people, one of the confounding things about Christianity is our response to mistreatment and affliction. We are those who rejoice in affliction. What is the “normal” response to affliction? What makes our affliction worth enduring? When we rejoice, even in suffering, what do we communicate about Jesus?

Make a list of all the reasons that following Jesus is worth the afflictions you’ve endured. How could you use this list to remind yourself to rejoice in your afflictions when they come?

Our suffering should not change our view of God; our God should change our view of suffering. 

The Bible is summarized in four words: JESUS IN MY PLACE

LAST WORD

The doctrine of original sin is uncomfortable. It isn’t pleasant to learn that we’ve been corrupted by Adam’s act of disobedience. It’s even less pleasant to learn that, with every disobedient act of our own, we’ve proven ourselves as guilty as the first Adam. But the second Adam, Jesus Christ, has done for us what we could never do for ourselves: he restored life—and gave eternal life—to all who receive it by faith. We don’t have to wait around for life in Christ to begin. We get his life today. This week, let’s tell everyone the good news about the second Adam whose grace far exceeds our sin and who gives us the gift of eternal life.

ABOUT SUFFERING

How can you use these passages to stir up your hope in God as you face difficulties?

This week let’s choose to see our afflictions as an opportunity to rejoice in God and in the hope that he will use our suffering to make us more like Christ.

Head Change:

To know that peace with God is not a subjective feeling, but an objective reality accomplished for us by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Heart Change:

To feel hopeful that our suffering will make us more like Christ.To feel the freedom that God’s grace offers us through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.

Life Change:

To rejoice in our suffering because we know that God loves us and has made peace with us through his Son, Jesus Christ.

PRAY....

UPDATE

Cafe hope (a place to meet a friend, not just wet your whistle)

Worship Wednesday (MidWeek encouragement looking at the songs we sing)

New series, “Unplugged: More Than a Song”.

Read chapter 3 of Romans.

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