Romans 5:1-11
Romans Exposition Student Ministry • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Benefits Of The True Vine
The Benefits Of The True Vine
Main Proposition:
Statement of Doctrine or Application
What are the distinguishing characteristics of true and false faith
Intro:
Statement of proposition
In Chapter 1 Paul talks in depth of what it looks like when men decide what is good and righteous and it it not a pleasant thing to see.
We are given up to our sins and the consequences of that sinful behavior
Paul talks about how EVERY man will be held accountable to God and that we are all under God’s judgment and wrath
How even though the Jews have been handed the “Oracles of God and the sign of circumcision” that does not omit them from the wrath of God and the judgment that is coming.
We moved into how no man is righteous or just without being imputed that by having faith in Jesus Christ
That no man can do good in the sight of God until he comes to that saving faith in His Son.
Paul goes ahead and digs deeper into the Jewish History because he knows exactly how they think, what their presuppositions are and he wants them to come to the realization that if Abraham was saved through faith and not works, if David knew that he needed a new regenerated heart to be saved then that is going to be true for them in that NT time period as well as for us today.
God does not change his strategy on how he save people and brings people to Him.
As followers of Christ we are not called to Christ, have this justification and that is the end of the road.
That is where our journey begins.
Other texts that support
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Why does this matter?
At this point Paul is going to tell people these are the benefits of having true, saving faith.
You say that you have saving faith well this is going to be your litmus test that is going to show you in your heart, where you land.
Because of our fruit we are called to grow in our faith.
Our faith is not a stagnant amount that whatever we have when we are justified is what we have forever.
Just like any muscle we need to train our faith muscle to get stronger, more steadfast, resilient and we are given tools to make that happen.
We have Bibles in modern translations as well as original text, we have churches, christian fellowship, centuries of church history to fall back on.
This is an important part of our faith and our walk with Christ.
We are called to carry our cross daily and we can only do that with genuine faith.
In verse 1 we see the word “Therefore” this as we know is connecting the previous section to the upcoming section.
If you have true saving faith that was described in chapter 4 these are the benefits from that faith
We know the requirements of eternal life and it is only by the grace of God through faith in His son. This is the only way.
It is a gift from God so that no man can boast, no man can say that they are better than another in the eyes of God.
God’s grace is the only thing that separates a Christian person from an LGBTQ person. God’s grace.
Now we see the result of having true true saving faith
7 Benefits of a true believer:
7 Benefits of a true believer:
Main Point #1: The True believer has peace with God
Statement
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prove
Justification is a one time legal declaration that says “I am righteous in the sight of God.”
We are made righteous or in good standing with God
Up until this moment we have been enemies of God, we could not do right in his eyes. No matter how good our worldly deeds are.
Liked what we talked about this morning without true saving faith, imputed righteousness we cannot do good in the eyes of God.
God is at war with every unrepentant human being because of our sinful rebellion against God and His laws.
But at this moment of faith that was has ended forever.
We have eternal peace with God and it is only through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
We are imputed His righteousness by faith
We have to remember that we are with peace with God, but it is not of our own doing.
Because Christ was risen from the dead we are then justified in the eyes of God.
What is the importance of having peace with God?
Everything starts with peace with God
How can a sinner have access to God? Through peace
The primary business of the Gospel isn’t to give us blessings, but to reconcile us with God
How is this peace formed?
Through the punishment of our sins on His son; His justice is satisfied
Flowers in texts:
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We don’t need wordly peace we need Godly peace
By justification by faith those obstacles which exist between God and the sinner are removed
Illustrations:
People are always looking for peace and they don’t care how they get it as long as they get it.
Drugs, Alcohol, Isolation from others, etc
The ONLY way that we will truly know what peace is like is when we come to the realization that only through faith in Christ can we experience that.
Main Point #2: The true believer has access to God
Statement
Romans 5:2A(ESV)
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
Prove
Everybody that has faith in Christ has access to God
Now this does not just apply to the Jews, but also the Gentiles
If you have true spiritual faith than you are standing in eternal confidence to always have access to God.
You can now pray to God and he will hear your prayers.
If a nonbeliever were to pray to God or Christ for something they are not hearing those prayers.
Because as we saw in our first point, until you come to faith in Christ you are at war with God.
This person’s prayers are going to fall on deaf ears.
They do not have the access that one of God’s children has to Him
Flowers in texts
Illustrations:
It is like any father to his son. If Enzo wants to talk to me or have my attention he will get it 100%.
If somebody else wants my attention they are not always going to have access to me.
Main Point #3: The Christian has hope in God
Statement
Romans 5:2B (ESV)
2 and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Prove
Faith in Christ isn’t a hope that one day we can maybe, possibly be righteous and good enough in God’s eyes.
This is a permanent , secure position the believers’ enjoy in God’s grace
The faith that Paul is describing here is faith that is eternal.
There is a distinction that we need to think about because there is a type of faith that is not genuine. People can fly the Christian flag all day long and we might know people that do this, but that does not mean faith is eternal and steadfast.
Can you answer the accusations of your own conscience?
Look at yourself and your heart
We talked about assurance this morning and in a sense its having hope in God
Scripture is filled with verses that talk about assurance and hope
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
By this we are taught that a truly saved person cannot cast Jesus off and revile Him, and that anyone who looks to Jesus as the Lord has been regenerated and is among the elect.
What is your attitude towards Christ?
Flowers in texts
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Main Point #4: The Christian has growth from God
Statement
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Prove
When we become a believer it is the start of growth in faith.
We are literally born again into Christ
Becoming justified in faith is not the end of our journey, but only the beginning. Our goal in life shouldn’t be to just barely cross the line from unbelief to belief. It should be to cross that line and continue running until we are face to face with our Lord and Savior.
Last week we looked at our faith in terms of strength. A baby that is 0 days old has strength. It is less than a grown adult, but at the same time it still has some level of strength.
No matter what God’s providence has in store for us we will always continue to grow in faith.
I love that we can see how growth happens in verse 3. We don’t just grow stronger in good times.
It is easy to say I am a follower of Jesus Christ when everything in your life is going well
BUT it is the times where you are being tested by God, the sufferings that you will face as a Christian will lead to growth. As it says in verses 3 and 4: “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”
Why does suffering produce endurance? It’s resistance, a constant resistance against the grain.
After time you will build up a level of spiritual endurance that can outlast anything that life throws your way: death, breakups, losing a job, because you know that no matter what happens God will ultimately be glorified in anything and everything.
Endurance produces character: When you are constantly tested and you are constantly being asked to dig deep again and again something is going to come out either light or darkness. Your true character will eventually come out when you are being tested. What is your character going to say about you?
when times got tough he left the faith? or that no matter what trials and tribulations in his life he still worshipped, honored and glorified God in all that he did. A true believer is going to have the latter response.
His faith didn’t start there, it started as a babe and through all what we just described his faith grew
Illustrations:
Look at Joseph in Genesis 45 and the trials that he had went through
What did he say to his brothers after he revealed himself to them? It wasn’t you that sold me, but God’s providence. Throughout all of this he kept his faith in God, glorified God and understood that everything that has happened to him was God’s providence
Because of that he was able to help his brothers and father in times of famine and hardship
7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
How do you purify gold? You put it into a furnace and the fire burns away the allow and all that is impure and that is what we have here during those times of pressure and hardship.
God is purifying our faith in Him.
Main Point #5: The Christian is loved by God
Statement
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Prove
At the time of our conversion, God has poured so much love into our hearts and because of that the Holy Spirit has indwelled every inch of our heart.
In a sense the Holy Spirit is implanted into our hearts and is evidence to our faith that we belong to Him in that we love the one that loves us first
We did not love God first, We did not choose God first. He loved us first and he chose us first
Up until this moment we did not love God, we were in open rebellion against Him
Our actions did not reflect the love that he has showed us at the time of conversion
But not only did God show us love; he did it while we were still against Him.
He did this while we were ungodly and unrighteous
The second you come to faith in Christ you are forever loved by God
He does not love everybody
That is only saved for His elect
Before we were saved God sent Christ to die for us
Jaquane preached last week on limited atonement and he was 100% correct in that God did not send His only son to die for all of mankind. He sent him to die for His elect.
When a preacher says that “God loves unconditionally” the unbeliever that is actively living in sin thinks that God loves him no matter what he does or does not do.
The love that the father has for his son extends to the people who belong to his son.
Flowers in texts:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Illustrations:
The love I have for my family compared to the love that I have for other believers I know is different.
Apply or Confront
There was a commercial during the Super Bowl that made it seem that “come as you are Jesus loves all” type of message
The world is going to say come as you are, but Jesus clearly teaches that you must carry your cross daily and follow him.
We must change, we must have a change of heart because up until this moment you are at war with God. He does not love someone who is actively against him.
Main Point #6: The Christian is preserved by God
Statement
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Prove
Once again Paul reminds us that we are justified by Christ’s blood and resurrection. Not our blood, sweat and tears, but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s blood, sweat and tears
He brings this up over and over again his letters. “His blood” justifies us not our own.
To dig a little deep since we are justified by Christ’s blood we will eternally be preserved and saved from God’s wrath
The wrath of God is forever satisfied because of the price that Christ had to pay for the sins of those who are his sheep.
That is great news because since Romans 1-4 Paul has gone into great detail about if you do not come to a saving faith in the Son of God you will face the wrath of God
This is just not to the Jews, but the Gentiles. Nobody is above or below the wrath of God
At this point there is nothing that you can do to lose your salvation. If you are truly elect God will preserve you and you will have eternal life
Christ comes because the Father send him. It is the Father's idea from all eternity, an idea to which the Son gives his total agreement, as does the Spirit.
We are talking about the Covenant of Redemption
We also need to add that with this type of faith you cannot lose it. It is eternal.
I believe Grant has said a few times: “It wouldn’t be called eternal life if you could lose it.”
This is also known as the perseverance of the saints. If you are one of God’s elect you will finish your race in God’s grace.
Our perseverance is not dependent of our own good works, but on God’s grace alone
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What is the result of the law? judgment and wrath
What is the result of grace? Free from the wrath
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Illustrations:
The story of Louis Zamperini; “Unbroken”
Main Point #7: The Christian is reconciled with God
Statement
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Prove
Once again we see Paul guiding us back to Christ. He wants to continue to remind us that we had absolutely nothing to do with our salvation
It was the death of our Lord and Savior that this relationship was mended.
The relationship between the former sinner and God had been restored because of the death of God’s Son.
If you come to a saving faith you have had your life saved. How special is that? Christ knew that he was going to die, he knew the extent to which he would suffer, be humiliated, but at the end of that road he knew that he would be saving the lives of his sheep. The shepherd put his life down for his flock
Our reward for that is our broken relationship between Christ’s sheep and His father have been restored.
Flowers in texts:
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Application Points:
Our growth from God should teach us that in all of our afflictions, God will bring spiritual good from it for us as He promised.
Our access to God should motivate us to come to Him regularly in prayer.
For nonbelievers: You will never know the joyful peace of God until you first know peace with God. Today is the day for you to be reconciled to Him through Jesus