PF - Romans 5:1-11

So, last week we saw that God has given us a solution to the problem that Paul laid out in chapters 1-3: all of us have sinned. And that means that God is angry at us and will condemn us.

What is the solution to that?

Exactly. If we trust in the Lord Jesus, we are justified. We receive the righteousness that comes from God. So, instead of God saying that we’re guilty, He changes His verdict to NOT-guilty. Because Jesus took our punishment for sin and gave us His perfect record of obeying God.

But here’s a question… So what? Okay, God saves us if we put our trust in Jesus. Great! Let’s just pray, go out there, keep living and see you next week!

Except… Paul doesn’t end the letter there, does he? Because here’s the thing - putting our trust in Jesus doesn’t just change our relationship with God from anger to friendship.

Putting our trust in Jesus changes EVERYTHING! Including our lives! A friend of mine said that, before he became a Christian, he was afraid of trusting Jesus. Why? Because he was afraid that Jesus was going to change his world. And guess what - that’s what Jesus did to him!

And that is what Jesus will do to you if you follow Him. But how? In what ways?

That’s what Paul is going to start explaining in chapter 5. So, turn to Romans 5. I’ll read verses 1-11.

Romans 5:1–11 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 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! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Straightaway, look at verse 1. What’s the first thing that changes if we put our trust in Jesus?

Peace with God! That’s the first consequence of putting our trust in Jesus.

But let me ask you this… If you ask people if peace with God is important, what do you think they will say? Why?

Most people won’t care because they haven’t seen that, without Jesus, they don’t have peace with God. In fact, without Jesus, God is angry at them!

But with Jesus? God becomes our friend. We have peace with Him, rather than Him being angry at us!

Which means, verse 2, that we have hope for the future. Why would peace with God give us hope for the future, do you think?

Exactly! Because it gives us certainty that, no matter what happens in the future, because we have peace with God, we will have a happy ending. We will be in heaven!

But look at verse 3. We can even have joy now! Not just when things are going well. Not just when we get the grades we want or when we go to the concerts we want or when we get the consoles we want.

No, Paul says we can even rejoice when we suffer! Have a look at verses 3-5. Why does Paul say that? What’s the logic?

DRAW PAUL’S LOGIC

Do you understand? We can even be joyful when we suffer because our suffering is making us more like Jesus - the best person who has ever lived! And, ultimately, we know that our hope will come true.

When Jesus returns to judge the world, we know that, because He saved us and we put our trust in Him, He won’t condemn us. He will take us to heaven!

So, because we’ve been saved by Jesus, this is the first thing that changes: now we have peace with God and we know that He will save us!

Or do we? I mean, remember chapters 1-3: God is really angry about sin! So, imagine I put my trust in Jesus but then I keep messing up. I keep sinning. Can I really be sure that God will save me? What if He gets mad at me again and changes His mind?

That’s where the next verses come in. Look at verses 6 and 8. When did Jesus come to die for us and save us?

Guys, this is really key. You really need to understand this.

Jesus didn’t wait until we had things figured out. He didn’t wait until we were good enough to be saved.

No, Jesus came to save us when we were at our absolute worst. When we couldn’t sink any lower. When we were literally God’s enemies!

And so, Paul explains why we can be sure that God won’t change His mind about us. Follow the logic again.

ENEMIES WITH GOD - JESUS COMES TO SAVE US - FRIENDS WITH GOD - GOD WON’T CHANGE HIS MIND, HE WILL SAVE US!

Look at this then. If this is true, and it is, what are the chances that God won’t save us if we put our trust in Him?

ABSOLUTELY 0%! Which brings us to what this means for us.

You and I have doubts everyday. Did I study enough for the test? Do my friends really like me or are they just pretending? Am I important to other people?

And sometimes in life things happen that make you doubt things.

One day, you might go through something that will make you doubt God. Maybe you will not get the results you need at school. Maybe someone close to you will pass away.

That’s what happened to me, in a way, when my grandfather died many years ago.

Then, the questions might come: Am I really going to heaven? Does God really love me? Does He even care about me?

Guys, remember what Paul says in this passage. Jesus came and saved you and me not when we were doing well in life and had everything figured out. He came when we were God’s enemies!

Does God love you and me? Of course He does! Jesus is the proof!

Because of Him, we have peace with God! Because of Him, we know that God will save us!

We will get to heaven! It’s a one way ticket that Jesus bought for us and no one can take it away!

So keep trusting in Jesus.

When you have doubts about God, don’t look at yourself for reassurance. Chances are you won’t be able to reassure yourself. That’s why you will have doubts!

Instead, look at Jesus. Remember what He did for you. How much He loves you!

And, as Paul says, rejoice. You know - be genuinely happy that Jesus saved you. That He will definitely take you to heaven. Don’t just take it for granted.

And when the difficulties come, remember - they will make you more like Jesus.

So you can face anything that comes with tears, yeah. The Bible doesn’t tell us to suck it up. It’s okay to cry. But we can cry with a smile too. We can rejoice even when we suffer! Why?

Because we know that, with Jesus, we have peace with God. And we know that, when the day comes, He will 100% take us to heaven.

So, be certain. And rejoice.

Let’s pray.