Just As It Never Happened

Introduction

One of the most difficult things is receiving a gift that is far more valuable than the gift you had prepared to exchange.

*My first fly fishing trip to Blue Ridge, Ga

Gave him a $50 gift card, He gave me a $400 guided fishing experience.

Broke the pole in the first 20 minutes… costed over $1,000!

Sometimes it is hard to receive something that seems so… overwhelming. As much as we appreciate the gift, we feel as if we have to do something in return to express our thankfulness or “pay our debt” in some sense.

Don’t you just wish they would tell you what is acceptable!

As we seek God’s word tonight and look at Romans chapter 5, we will see one of the greatest gifts ever given, and the response expected from us in return.

Defining Justification

Justification: the process by which you have been made righteous (given ability to act in accordance with what is required from God) before God.

You can remember what this word means by this - “Justification is just as it never happened.”

Our sin is what ultimately separated us from God and stripped us of our created purpose and intention for living.

We must be justified so that our sin is no longer the present divide that keeps us from our Creator.

The Evidence of Justification

Romans 5:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.

The Gift of Peace

Romans 5:1

Peace is hard to come by. Many time when we consider peace, we think about the absence of conflict in our live- when everything is just right!

This peace is more than just that, it is the result of our sin being justified and our lives counted as righteous before God!

This peace is what moves us along through life’s trials and tribulations.

We can have peace knowing that this life on earth is temporary because he has justified our sin and assured our place in eternity!

Our Access to Grace

Romans 5:2

How are we given access to this grace in which secures our justification?

Through Christ alone!

It says “through HIM we have also obtained access...”

“In which we stand”

Think of it this way… Imagine there are two doors. You are standing behind one of them and God is behind the other…

In your current state, you will die behind this door. The only way you gain life is by entering the door that God is behind...

When you open your door in the space between them, you don’t find God’s door closed with a set of instructions to accomplished before gaining access...

In fact, God’s door is wide open and He is standing with arms open wide greeting you into life!

God hasn’t waited for us to take the next step- He intervened and made a way!

We have been granted access....

Our Hope in Jesus Christ

Romans 5:4

Justification enables the posture of expectation.

Because our sin has been forgiven and God’s Son, Jesus Christ, took our punishment, the punishment of death, we can live in a Spirit of hope in what is to come… life eternal!

The evidence of our justification lies in our desire to rejoice in this hope!

This is why we sing songs of praise and hymns, why we love our church and want to be here every time the doors are open, why we have a gravitational pull to the things of God- we aren’t shameful of these things!

Why not be embarrassed by this? Because God’s promise won’t leave us at the door and embarrass us!

Our hope will not put us to shame! He will rescue us! He will deliver us from this world! Because we have been justified, we will be glorified!

How do we obtain this hope when we are struggling to believe, trust, or make sense of the Christian walk?

Trust that the suffering of the world produces steadfastnesses (endurance).

This word in its original language means “To stay or remain behind.”

We can trust if we turn to the Lord during these things, we remain behind Him, trusting Him as our protector and provider, that we will become the person He created us to be… One living in the fruition of His identity as His children..

This produces a proven character that resembles “a child of God.”

As a child of God, we will cling to nothing but the hope of eternal life....

The Presence of the Holy Spirit

Romans 5:5

This is our hope carried out in action.

Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s love has been poured out into our hearts!

*The pouring of water illustration

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, it is the only thing that comes out!

The Message of Justification

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

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. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 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.

When the hope of Christ is overflowing in your life because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, it declares a message based on our salvific experience.

The message of justification is that we are loved!

Our relationship with the Lord was broken and we were headed toward death, yet because of His love we now have the ability to find life!

How do we know we are loved?

Romans 5:8

Even though we disobeyed the Lord, Even though His desire was for us to experience what we were created for, even though we hate, lie, cheat, and reject the things of the Lord...

Christ still died for us.

The evidence for this love is found in the sole fact that our relationship with Him is reconciled!

This evidence is seen in what verses 1-5 proclaim- I have a peace, I have experienced His grace, I cling to this hope, and I can’t contain the Spirit that is inside of me!

The Reminder Offered in Justification

When Adam, the first human God created, sinned against God and disobeyed His command, the unfortunate consequence was death and the immediate separation between God and man.

God could not associate Himself with sin, yet He still had a deep desire for humanity.

Because Adam sinned, His disobedience has affected us all because we inherit what He brought in- a helpless situation.

Genesis 2:17 ESV

17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Romans 5:14

It is indeed hopeless...

Justification points to our need for Jesus.

Adam’s decision costed all of us. It was a powerful decision that brought about pain, suffering, and loss… and ultimately, death.

It effected the world.

Notices Paul’s point here...

“Adam is a type of the one to come...”

It is one thing to have the power to kill...

It is a whole other thing to have the prayer to bring life to something...

Adam is a type of Jesus in the sense that they both made decisions that affected the world- but let us notice the difference here!

Adam’s disobedience brought death to the world- Jesus’s obedience brought life to all who believed.

The bottom line is this, you and I were and are in desperate need of saving.

So what is it that actually saves us? Is it the death of a man named Jesus? Is it the belief in the existence of God? Is it our ability to attempt to be good and abstain from the wrong things in life…?

The Grace Given in Justification

Romans 5:15–21 ESV

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Before we answer that question, we must first have a clear understanding of grace.

Grace is the courteous goodwill to extend something that is not deserved.

God’s grace it what covers the sin of the world!

This is the free gift that Paul is referring to!

This is an undeserving gift when considering our sin that was against a Holy and righteous God!

God’s grace, our salvation, and eternal life with God forever.

What saved us?

Our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the grace God extended to us through our faith is what justifies our sin and makes us righteous.

Romans 5:16

When we are unrepentant sinners living with the consequence of death in the foresight of our lives, God’s judgement brings condemnation.

So what is true is that the grace Paul is mentioning does not bring condemnation, but brings justification.

Our faith is the means of this Justification, so what is the basis?

The Basis of Justification

Jesus Christ is the basis of justification.

His righteous obedience to live a perfect, humble, surrendering life is how justification is offered...

Adam’s disobedience brought death to humanity, Jesus’ obedience brought life to humanity.

Romans 5:18 ESV

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

If the basis of justification is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the means of our justification is our faith in the work of Jesus Christ, then what is the result?

What comes about after our sins have been justified?

Eternal life.

Romans 5:17 ESV

17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

This free gift of grace, salvation, and eternal life REIGNS in our life.

It is loud. This is the Spirit overflowing in us.

Closing

This is why we rejoice!

Romans 5:11 ESV

11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

So back to what we started with...

This gift of grace and salvation is overwhelming.

If we are going to be honest, we can be guilty for sometimes not wanting Jesus as much as He wanted us.

We find a rhythm, we experience God, we are on fire for Jesus… and then life happens.

Let me offer you these words.

Invitation

I pray tonight you’ve been reminded of your brokenness.

I pray tonight you recognize the love God has for you. He allowed the death of His Son for the relationship He has with you.

I pray you know that...

Romans 5:20 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

And because of that grace...

You can experience peace, you can enduring these hard times, you can know you are a child of God… you can experience Him because He will ALWAYS be standing with the door as wide open as His arms.

And for those of you that might realize tonight for the first time, you are a sinner, you’ve never found peace, purpose, or identity.

That you need what Jesus has offered, this grace for the sake of eternal life.

I want you to know this...

Romans 5:10 ESV

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.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

All you have to do is place your faith and trust that what Jesus did, by dying and defeating death, He did for you...

When you make that decision for yourself, all of us in Christ will respond appropriately with you.

We will rejoice.

Invite time of response and close with prayer.